WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act, legislation that will prohibit retaliation against whistleblowers who provide information to the Department of Justice in criminal antitrust cases. In 2019, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to introduce the Senate bill, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent. It now goes to the President’s desk for his signature.
“When companies violate the antitrust laws, it harms competition, hurts consumers, and undermines our economy. So when employees step up and do the right thing by reporting potential illegal conduct, they shouldn’t just be applauded for their courage, they must be protected. This bipartisan legislation will ensure employees can provide information to federal law enforcers about anti-competitive behavior without fear of retaliation,” said Senator Klobuchar.
This bill is based on recommendations from a Government Accountability Office report released in July 2011. The bill allows an employee who believes he or she is the victim of retaliation to file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor, and provides for that employee to be reinstated to their former status if the Secretary finds in their favor.
In her role as Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights and a senior Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Klobuchar has been a leader in the fight to protect consumers’ personal data and promote online competition.
In November, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter, Klobuchar raised serious concerns about potential anticompetitive conduct and acquisitions by Facebook and highlighted the urgent need to increase transparency in political advertising.
In October, at a Senate Commerce Committee Hearing with CEOs from Google, Facebook, and Twitter, Klobuchar raised serious competition concerns with Google’s CEO. She also highlighted the urgent need to combat disinformation and improve transparency in online political advertising.
In August, at an Antitrust Subcommittee hearing on Google’s dominance in advertising technology markets, Klobuchar emphasized the need to enforce antitrust Laws.
###
