As federal agencies dole out record-breaking awards to tipsters (such as the SEC’s recent $30 million award), whistleblower programs remain a topic of public interest. Earlier this month, The New York Times published an article about the growth of the whistleblower programs operated by the S.E.C., Justice Department, and I.R.S, which financially incentivize the reporting of misconduct.
The Times article notes that the Justice Department reported a record-high recovery in civil fraud cases under the False Claims Act in its last fiscal year and that the S.E.C.’s Office of the Whistleblower continues to thrive. The article also discusses the uptick in the number of tips that the S.E.C. received in its past fiscal year, a topic we covered in a post about the agency’s 2014 Annual Report. Given the vitality of the government’s current whistleblower programs, the article suggests that congressional support for similar programs is growing. As a result, new and expanded whistleblower reward programs may be looming on the horizon.