The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is poised 
to adopt new rules and regulations that will improve the transparency of its whistleblower program while also bolstering protections for whistleblowers. The proposed amendments will also make the CFTC’s program more consistent with the SEC’s whistleblower program, which has already implemented similar rules and regulations.
“Since the whistleblower program was established in 2011, the need for certain improvements has become apparent,” the CFTC stated. By giving whistleblowers “greater clarity about the claims and awards process and greater assurance that retaliation would not be tolerated,” the CFTC believes the proposed rules will “encourage whistleblowers to step forward.”
Read Moreabout CFTC Proposes New Rules to Strengthen Its Whistleblower Program
This June, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy introduced legislation to extend whistleblower protection for employees who provide information to the Department of Justice related to criminal antitrust violations.
Whistleblower laws form the foundation of the False Claims Act and are are crucial because they provide protection and incentives for qui tam whistleblowers (also called relators) to bring information to the government. Under federal and state laws, defendants who violate the False Claims Act are liable for triple damages (plus penalties) to the government.