S. 2591 · 114th Congress
WARN Act of 2016
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
BaldwinSponsorNo cosponsors.
Whistleblower Augmented Reward and Nonretaliation Act of 2016 or the WARN Act of 2016
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Feb 25, 2016
Whistleblower Augmented Reward and Nonretaliation Act of 2016 or the WARN Act of 2016
This bill amends the Financial Institutions Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act of 1990 governing the rights of a private person (declarant) who files a declaration of a violation giving rise to a federal action for civil penalties with respect to fraud crimes involving federally insured financial institutions.
The bill revises the minimum and maximum percentage of a declarant's entitlement to share in the recovery by the United States from a judgment, order, or settlement that was based in whole or in part on the information contained in a valid declaration, and allows a 30-day window in which to appeal any award determination.
The bill prescribes specified relief in a civil action intended to protect declarants from employer reprisals including reinstatement with the same seniority status.
The Department of Justice shall require employers to provide education and training to employees regarding declarant rights and remedies.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Act is amended to extend similar protections to employees of banking agencies, together with the same minimum and maximum rewards for information leading to recoveries or civil penalties.
Both the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act are amended to: (1) remove the definition of whistleblower, and (2) prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commissions) from denying eligibility for an award if the information basic to the award is submitted within 90 days after obtaining knowledge of the disclosed misconduct.
The Commissions shall presume that reports are timely and shall not reduce an award due to delay, unless disclosure was deliberately postponed either because of culpability, interference with internal investigative processes, or attempts at self-enrichment.
The prohibition against employer retaliation shall cover acts by the whistleblower in: (1) objecting to, or refusing to participate in, any activity, policy, practice which the whistleblower reasonably believed to be in violation of Commission-enforceable law, rule, order, standard, or prohibition; or (2) providing information relating to any violation within Commission jurisdiction.
Relief for an individual prevailing in an enforcement action shall include compensatory damages and up to $250,000 in punitive damages.
The bill prohibits employers from: (1) taking specified actions to impede an individual who undertakes a protected activity, or (2) engaging in any other discrimination that would chill the exercise of a protected activity.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: WARN Act of 2016
Also known as: Whistleblower Augmented Reward and Nonretaliation Act of 2016
Latest action (Feb 25, 2016): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Feb 25, 2016
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.