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HB322

HB322: Office of Public Whistleblower Advocate

Last scannedSep 12, 2026, 4:46 AM

In one sentence

This bill creates a new office to help public employees who report wrongdoing, sets up a fund for awards, and clarifies how courts handle these cases.

What it does

  • Creates the Office of the Public Whistleblower Advocate to assist people reporting matters of public concern or participating in investigations.
  • Establishes a Public Whistleblower Award Fund to provide money as rewards for valid reports.
  • Gives the Superior Court authority to hear cases involving violations of whistleblower protection laws.
  • Requires employers to post notices that explain employee rights and how to file complaints with the new advocate office.
  • Allows employees to pause the three-year deadline for filing a lawsuit while their complaint is being investigated by the advocate.

Who it affects

  • Public employees who report matters of public concern or participate in investigations.
  • State and municipal employers, including departments, boards, and commissions.
  • The Superior Court judges who will hear whistleblower cases.
  • The Public Whistleblower Advocate and their staff.

Limits and unknowns

  • The bill does not require employers to pay employees for time spent in court actions or investigations.
  • Protection is only available if the person reporting reasonably believes the issue involves a matter of public concern and acts in good faith.
  • Employees cannot use this law to disclose information that other laws say must be kept confidential.
  • Protections do not apply if the reported matter resulted from the employee's own conduct, unless that conduct was required by their employer.

Plain language

Terms to know

Whistleblower
An employee who reports a matter of public concern to a public body in good faith.
Retaliatory action
Punishment by an employer such as firing, demotion, disciplining, denial of promotion, reassignment, or creating a hostile work environment because someone reported wrongdoing.
Public official
A person holding specific government jobs including judges, the governor and lieutenant governor, department heads, board members, municipal officers, and the public whistleblower advocate.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text

Official summary

OFFICE OF PUBLIC WHISTLEBLOWER ADVOCATE An Act establishing the office of the public whistleblower advocate; relating to whistleblower protections; establishing the public whistleblower award fund; and relating to the jurisdiction of the superior court over whistleblower actions.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (H) REFERRED TO JUDICIARY1682
  2. (H) JUD, FIN1682
  3. (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS1682