State Senator Edith G. Prague
April 30, 2008
Prague Joins Senate Majority to Increase Whistleblower Protections
State Senator Edith G. Prague (D-Columbia), the Senate Chair of the legislature's Labor and Public Employees Committee, today joined an overwhelming majority of her Senate colleagues to approve a bill to strengthen Connecticut's whistleblower protection laws. Several amendments designed to dilute the legislation were defeated during the debate; the bill itself was approved by a 32--4 margin.
Senator Prague said the bill now advances to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
"The willingness of state employees to step up and speak out about workplace wrongdoing and impropriety is at the very core of our ongoing efforts to eliminate corruption in state government, so we have to do everything we can to encourage would-be whistleblowers and put into place suitable protections for them," Senator Prague said. "This bill, should it become law, would protect employees from the many forms of retaliation to which whistleblowers are far too-often subjected."
More specifically, the legislation extends the time period during which whistleblowers would have access to state assistance during investigations and administrative proceedings, and extends to whistleblowers representation from the state Attorney General's office during those proceedings.
"Over the past few years we have heard repulsive testimony about retaliation directed toward whistleblowers at both the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Corrections, and no state employee should have to tolerate such targeted abuse, let alone those who have tried to improve things where they work," Senator Prague said. "I'm delighted so many of my Senate colleagues voted to approve this bill and I now call upon our counterparts in the House to act favorably on these important protections."
Senator Prague is serving her 11th term in the General Assembly. In addition to her responsibility for the Labor and Public Employees Committee, Senator Prague is the vice-chair of the Select Committee on Aging, and a member of the Appropriations and Executive and Legislative Nominations Committees.
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