Gov. Nathan Deal has again urged lawmakers to examine who gets legal protections to file whistleblower lawsuits, saying that a recent court ruling could make it more difficult to fire state employees who are failing at their duties.
The governor's comments Tuesday came a day after news broke that the state struck a $480,000 settlement against a former staffer for the Georgia National Guard who claimed in a whistleblower complaint that then-Adjutant Gen. Jim Butterworth fired her for refusing to cover for his "unethical and inappropriate conduct."
They echoed similar remarks he made last year questioning who should qualify for whistleblower status after a jury awarded more than $1 million to a former ethics chief who used the protections to file a lawsuit. A Deal aide said then that the changes could be included in a broader overhaul of the ethics agency, though Deal since delayed that campaign promise until next year.
Deal said he was concerned about a recent Georgia Supreme Court ruling that broadened the definition of whistleblowers.That decision, he said, could automatically grant whistleblower status to more government employees, including those charged with investigating state agencies and employees.
Said Deal:
The governor said he had no firm guidelines for what changes should be made, but said lawmakers need to strike a balance between safeguarding government employees who highlight corruption and those who want to protect their own jobs.
"There's always a protection that we need for those who are legitimate whistleblowers, who point out problems that otherwise would not come to the surface. They contribute significantly to making government better," said Deal.
"By the same token, it is important that we not put ourselves in a posture where people say, 'You can't fire me, you've got a lot of reasons for being able to fire me, but if you do I'm going to claim that I complained about something else and therefore claim whistleblower status.'"
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