What are some of the federal laws related to whistleblower protection?

Whistleblower laws are laws that provide protection for individuals who report wrongdoing within an organization or company. In Virginia, this protection is codified in both state and federal law. One of the most important whistleblower protection laws is the Whistleblower Protection Act which was passed in 1989 and amended in 1994. This law provides protection for federal employees who report certain kinds of wrongdoing, such as violations of law, waste, mismanagement, abuse of authority, and instances of gross safety violations. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was passed in 2012 to strengthen the protections of whistleblowers provided by the Whistleblower Protection Act. It also gives whistleblowers the right to a jury trial should their claims be denied. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was passed in 2002 and protects employees of publicly held companies who report securities fraud, misappropriation of funds, or other financial fraud. The False Claims Act (also known as the Lincoln Law) is a federal law that allows private individuals to file complaints on behalf of the government if they have knowledge of fraud or other illegal activities. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 also includes a whistleblower provision which grants protection to those who report misconduct by public companies and large private companies. Finally, the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act provides protections for whistleblowers who have knowledge of fraud or other misconduct in the expenditure of public funds. This law provides whistleblowers with job protection and monetary awards if the government is able to successfully proceed with an investigation or prosecution based on their claims.

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