{"id":372469,"date":"2016-03-31T21:34:51","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/employment-laws\/details-on-state-whistleblower-laws.html"},"modified":"2016-06-20T19:51:31","modified_gmt":"2016-06-21T00:51:31","slug":"details-on-state-whistleblower-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/employment-laws\/details-on-state-whistleblower-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Details on State Whistleblower Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n

Details on State Whistleblower Laws<\/h1>\n
\n
\n

Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last reviewed\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Whistleblower statutes protect employees when they find themselves in the difficult position of discovering their employer violating a law or in some way breaching the public trust<\/a>. If the employer is warned of the problem but takes no action, or asks the employee to keep the situation confidential, the employee may be personally participating in a crime<\/a> and may be exposed to a certain amount of personal liability.<\/p>\n

Whistleblowers play an extremely important role in uncovering and correcting governmental waste, environmental dangers, public safety violations, conspiracies, fraud<\/a>, and deceit.<\/p>\n

What Does It Mean to "Blow the Whistle?"<\/h2>\n

Sometimes, the right thing to do is to report the employer to the authorities (or "blow the whistle<\/a>"), but the employee may risk losing his job or position within the company. In this situation, the employee may be torn between a legal or ethical duty and perceived loyalty to his employer — a dilemma that whistleblower protections seek to diminish.<\/p>\n

"Whistleblower" issues arise in various circumstances, such as when an employee discovers that his government contractor employer is overbilling the government, or when a public or private employer is discovered cutting corners on safety matters in violation of rules and regulations under state or federal occupational health and safety acts<\/a>. Other situations may involve employer practices of:<\/p>\n