DOL renews whistleblower committee charter

Washington – The Department of Labor has renewed the charter for the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.

OSHA enforces whistleblower and anti-retaliation provisions in 22 different statutes, and WPAC advises the agency on the investigation and enforcement of those statutes.

Whistleblower protection has received increased attention in recent years. In the 2012 OSHA budget, whistleblower protection received its own line item for the first time. During a Senate subcommittee hearing in April, OSHA administrator David Michaels said whistleblower protection funding has not kept pace with the agency’s growing whistleblower protection responsibilities. For the fiscal year 2015 budget, the Obama administration is requesting a more than $4 million boost to OSHA’s whistleblower protection funding.