REPORT TITLE:
Whistleblowers' Protection


DESCRIPTION:
Amends the Whistleblowers' Protection Act by expanding areas of
protected conduct and the types of reportable violations. (SD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EMPLOYEE PROTECTION UNDER THE WHISTLEBLOWER LAW.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that, on occasion,
 
 2 employees find it necessary to report violations or suspected
 
 3 violations of a law, rule, regulation, or ordinance adopted by
 
 4 the State of Hawaii, a political subdivision of this State, or
 
 5 the United States, or a code of ethics designed to protect the
 
 6 interest of the public or an employer, which they observe during
 
 7 the course of their work.
 
 8      Unfortunately, many of these alleged violations are not
 
 9 reported due to concerns by employees about potential retaliatory
 
10 discharge, or threats to, or discrimination against them for
 
11 reporting these violations.  Thus, out of fear, violations go
 
12 unreported and uncorrected.
 
13      This problem adversely affects both the well-being and
 
14 productivity of these concerned employees, as well as the
 
15 functioning of the affected agencies or organizations.  It also
 
16 undermines and erodes the public's trust and confidence in
 
17 government, in government employees, and in private sector
 
18 organizations and their employees.
 
19      The Whistleblowers' Protection Act, codified as part V of
 

 
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 1 chapter 378, Hawaii Revised Statutes, attempts to provide some
 
 2 protection to employees who speak out.  That Act provides for the
 
 3 ability to bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive
 
 4 relief, or actual damages, or both, within ninety days after the
 
 5 alleged violation of that Act.  That Act also provides for
 
 6 potential reinstatement of the employee, payment of back wages,
 
 7 full reinstatement of fringe benefits, actual damages, or any
 
 8 combination of these remedies.  Recovery of all or a portion of
 
 9 the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney's fees and
 
10 witness fees, is also possible.
 
11      Other states, such as California, and the federal
 
12 government, have adopted similar legislation.  In addition, the
 
13 Government Accountability Project, an organization which provides
 
14 assistance to whistleblowers, has developed a Model State
 
15 Whistleblower Protection Act.
 
16      A reference entitled "The Whistleblowers", by Myron Peretz
 
17 Glazer and Penina Migdal Glazer, researches and analyzes the
 
18 relatively recent phenomenon of whistleblowing or ethical
 
19 protest.  Glazer and Glazer have concluded that these employees
 
20 have often "risked their lives, their careers, and their security
 
21 to "do the right thing".  They found that "many government and
 
22 private sector officials have implemented a consistent pattern of
 
23 harsh reprisals - from blacklisting, dismissal, or transfer, to
 

 
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 1 personal harassment - in an effort to define the dissident
 
 2 employees as the source of the problem, to undermine their
 
 3 creditability and effectiveness as potential witnesses".
 
 4      Although Hawaii's Whistleblowers' Protection Act does
 
 5 provide some protection from, and potential compensation for,
 
 6 employer retaliation for ethical protest, penalties for
 
 7 violations of that Act are relatively minor and insignificant (a
 
 8 fine of not more than $500 for each violation).  In contrast to
 
 9 the relatively much greater penalties and losses incurred by the
 
10 average whistleblower for attempting to do the right thing, the
 
11 penalties for those who create these hardships are grossly
 
12 disproportionate, totally inadequate, and hardly a deterrent to
 
13 future retaliation.
 
14      Hawaii's Whistleblowers' Protection Act provides only a
 
15 ninety-day period to bring civil action.  Such a short statute of
 
16 limitations may not be adequate in some cases.  Often, more time
 
17 is needed for the whistleblower to gather the necessary evidence
 
18 of retaliation and to support the whistleblower's original
 
19 allegations regarding illegal activities; to discuss the
 
20 situation with legal counsel, union representatives, or public
 
21 support and interest groups; and to evaluate the potential
 
22 personal and career ramifications of pursuing further actions.
 
23 Thus, a longer period of time is warranted.
 

 
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 1      The purpose of this Act is to strengthen the protection
 
 2 provided by Hawaii's Whistleblowers' Protection Act by providing
 
 3 protection to employees who report violations of law, rule,
 
 4 regulation, ordinance; violations of a code of ethics; or the
 
 5 following:
 
 6      (1)  Immediate and serious danger to the public health,
 
 7           safety, and welfare;
 
 8      (2)  Fraud;
 
 9      (3)  Waste, misuse, and misappropriation of public
 
10           resources; or
 
11      (4)  Malfeasance, misfeasance, or neglect of duty by an
 
12           agency.
 
13      Additionally, this Act also strengthens the remedies
 
14 available to whistleblowers and increases the penalties for
 
15 violations.
 
16      SECTION 2.  Section 378-62, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
17 amended to read as follows:
 
18      "[[]�378-62[]]  Discharge of, threats to, or discrimination
 
19 against employee for reporting violations of law.  (a)  Subject
 
20 to chapter 92F, no employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any
 
21 rule, regulation, contract, or policy to prevent an employee from
 
22 disclosing information to a public body where the employee has
 
23 reasonable cause to believe the information discloses a violation
 

 
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 1 or suspected violation of a law, rule, regulation, or ordinance,
 
 2 adopted pursuant to a law of this State, a political subdivision
 
 3 of this State, or the United States, or a code of ethics designed
 
 4 to protect the interests of the public, or the information
 
 5 demonstrates one or more of the following:
 
 6      (1)  Immediate and serious danger to public health, safety,
 
 7           and welfare;
 
 8      (2)  Fraud;
 
 9      (3)  Waste, misuse, and misappropriation of public
 
10           resources; or
 
11      (4)  Malfeasance, misfeasance, or neglect of duty by an
 
12           agency.
 
13      (b)  An employer or agent of the employer shall not
 
14 discharge, threaten, demote, suspend, harass, blacklist, fail to
 
15 promote, transfer, discipline, significantly change duties or
 
16 responsibilities, conduct adverse performance appraisals, or
 
17 [otherwise] in any other manner discriminate against an
 
18 applicant, employee, or former employee regarding the
 
19 applicant's, employee's, or former employee's training, awards,
 
20 compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of
 
21 employment solely because:
 
22      (1)  The employee, or a person acting on behalf of the
 
23           employee, reports or is about to report in any fashion,
 

 
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 1           including verbal, written, broadcast, or otherwise, to
 
 2           a public body, [verbally or in writing,] a violation or
 
 3           a suspected violation of a law [or], rule, regulation,
 
 4           or ordinance, adopted pursuant to a law of this State,
 
 5           a political subdivision of this State, or the United
 
 6           States, or a code of ethics designed to protect the
 
 7           interest of the public, or the information demonstrates
 
 8           one or more of the following:
 
 9           (A)  Immediate and serious danger to public health,
 
10                safety, and welfare;
 
11           (B)  Fraud;
 
12           (C)  Waste, misuse, and misappropriation of public
 
13                resources; or
 
14           (D)  Malfeasance, misfeasance, or neglect of duty by an
 
15                agency;
 
16           unless the employee knows that the report is false;
 
17           [or]
 
18      (2)  An employee is requested by a public body to
 
19           participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry
 
20           held by that public body, or a court action[.]; or
 
21      (3)  An employee, or any individual who supports the
 
22           employee, refuses to participate in or remains silent
 
23           about a violation or suspected violation of a law,
 

 
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 1           rule, regulation, or ordinance, adopted pursuant to a
 
 2           law of this State, a county of this State, or the
 
 3           United States, or a code of ethics designed to protect
 
 4           the interest of the public, or information
 
 5           demonstrating one or more of the following:
 
 6           (A)  Immediate and serious danger to public health;
 
 7                safety, and welfare;
 
 8           (B)  Fraud;
 
 9           (C)  Waste, misuse, and misappropriation of public
 
10                resources; or
 
11           (D)  Malfeasance, misfeasance, or neglect of duty by an
 
12                agency."
 
13      SECTION 3.  Section 378-63, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
14 amended as follows:
 
15      1.  By amending subsection (a) to read:
 
16      "(a)  A person who alleges a violation of this part may
 
17 bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief, or
 
18 actual, compensatory, and punitive damages, or [both] any
 
19 combination within [ninety] one-hundred-eighty days after the
 
20 occurrence of the alleged violation of this part.  If applicable,
 
21 the one-hundred-eighty day period shall commence after all
 
22 grievance procedures under collective bargaining agreements, as
 
23 elected by the person alleging the violation, have been
 

 
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 1 exhausted."
 
 2      2.  By amending subsection (c) to read:
 
 3      "(c)  As used in subsection (a), "damages" means actual,
 
 4 compensatory, and punitive damages for injury or loss caused by
 
 5 each violation of this part, including reasonable [attorney]
 
 6 attorneys' fees[.]; except that the State shall not be liable for
 
 7 punitive damages pursuant to section 662-2."
 
 8      SECTION 4.  Section 378-64, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 9 amended to read as follows:
 
10      "[[]�378-64[]]  Remedies ordered by court.  (a)  Upon motion
 
11 of the complainant, a court may order a stay of the alleged
 
12 discrimination if the court determines that there are reasonable
 
13 grounds to believe that a violation of this part has occurred,
 
14 exists, or is about to take place.  In addition, the complainant
 
15 shall be entitled to all other civil and criminal remedies
 
16 available under any other state, federal, or county statutes,
 
17 ordinances, rules, or regulations; provided that the complainant
 
18 shall not be entitled to recover duplicative remedies for the
 
19 same claim.
 
20      (b)  A court, in rendering a judgment in an action brought
 
21 pursuant to this part, shall order, as the court considers
 
22 appropriate, reinstatement of the employee, payment of back
 
23 wages, full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority
 

 
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 1 rights, actual damages, compensatory damages, and punitive
 
 2 damages where otherwise allowed, or any combination of these
 
 3 remedies.  A court may also award the complainant all or a
 
 4 portion of the costs of litigation, including reasonable
 
 5 [attorney's] attorneys' fees and witness fees, if the court
 
 6 determines that the award is appropriate."
 
 7      SECTION 5.  Section 378-65, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 8 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
 9      "(a)  A person who violates this part shall be fined not
 
10 more than [$500 for each violation.] $10,000.  In addition, if
 
11 the person is employed by the State, the person shall be subject
 
12 to disciplinary proceedings by the department of human resources
 
13 development, if the person is subject to chapters 76 and 77; or
 
14 by the person's appointing body, if the person is exempt from
 
15 chapters 76 and 77; and shall be liable for damages in an action
 
16 brought by the injured party.  Nothing in this subsection shall
 
17 bar a person protected under this part from pursuing remedies
 
18 under section 378-63."
 
19      SECTION 6.  Section 378-69, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
20 amended to read as follows:
 
21      "[[]�378-69[]]  Conflict with common law, precedence.  (a)
 
22 The rights created herein shall not be construed to limit the
 
23 development of the common law nor to preempt the common law
 

 
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 1 rights and remedies on the subject matter of discharges which are
 
 2 contrary to public policy.  In the event of a conflict between
 
 3 the terms and provisions of this part and any other law on the
 
 4 subject, the more beneficial provisions favoring the employee
 
 5 shall prevail.
 
 6      (b)  Section 386-5 shall not affect subsection (a)."
 
 7      SECTION 7.  This Act does not affect rights and duties that
 
 8 matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were
 
 9 begun, before its effective date.
 
10      SECTION 8.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
11 New statutory material is underscored.
 
12      SECTION 9.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.