December 16, 2010
I have worked personally with whistleblowers that have raised concerns about such government programs as the Trident D5 missile and the Hubble Space Telescope, long before problems with these systems was publicly known. These whistleblowers variously lost their jobs, marriages, health and in one case their life. In my view, the balance of power is still too much on the side of corporations seeking to suppress whistleblowers.
Please include a "qui tam" provision allowing whistleblowers to pursue cases independently.
Please do not require whistleblowers to report wrongdoing through internal channels before contacting the SEC.
Please minimize the barriers to the SEC working closely with whistleblowers to pursue cases submitted by those whistleblowers.