Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor (JDL) - chair: Hee, vice chair: Kokubun

Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 10:00 a.m. Room 229

Testifier: JoAnn Maruoka, Legislative Committee member, LWV-Hawaii

Click here to view SB1926

The League of Women Voters strongly supports S.B. 1926 to expand the protection provided to public employees who report violations of the law, waste, and gross misconduct, incompetence, or inefficiency. Workers are often in the best positions to notice improper, illegal or just plain wrong practices by employers or other employees, and we absolutely agree that greater protection is necessary to encourage them to come forward with such information. Awareness of and information on problem areas are needed to help correct problems and ensure the efficiency and integrity of state and local government. Even with the best legal protections in the world, whistleblowers often may face covert efforts to punish them by employers and/or fellow employees. It takes a great deal of courage and concern for the public good for an employee to report information about practices of a public agency that pose a danger to public health or safety, or waste, fraud or any abuse. The maximum legal protection should be available for these whistleblowers to encourage them to think and act for the public good. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on S.B. 1926.