WHISTLEBLOWER QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Whistleblowers risk their careers and reputations by reporting waste, fraud, and abuse to the proper authorities in order to promote accountability, integrity, honesty, fairness, and transparency. The commemoration of July 30 as national Whistleblower Day recognizes the first law protecting whistleblowers and it recognizes the importance of whistleblowers to our nation's transparency and accountability."

Arkansas lawmakers in recognizing the Founding Father's July 30, 1778 passage of America's first law to protect whistleblowers from retribution.
 

DAILY WHISTLEBLOWER HEADLINES:

U.S. attorney in Savannah: California retailer to pay $15 million to settle False Claims Act suit

By Savannah Morning News

A United States attorney in Savannah has announced that a California retailer has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it tried to sidestep customs to import furniture from China.

Z Gallerie LLC of Los Angeles was allegedly bringing the wooden bedroom furniture through the Port of Savannah in a way that evaded duties and violated the False Claims Act, according to Edward Tarver, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Savannah is home to one of the fastest growing ports in the country, handling almost 10 percent of all the containerized cargo volume in the United States,” Tarver said. “This U.S. Attorney’s Office will work hard to make sure those using the Port of Savannah play by the rules, and to hold those who try to cheat their way out of paying customs duties accountable.”

The Department of Commerce assesses, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection collects, duties to protect U.S. manufacturers from unfair competition abroad by leveling the playing field for domestic products. The particular duties at issue in this case are antidumping duties, which protect domestic manufacturers against foreign companies “dumping” products on U.S. markets at prices below cost. Imports of wooden bedroom furniture manufactured in China have been subject to antidumping duties since 2004.

Historic National Whistleblower Appreciation Day Proclamation Introduced at Last Week's Whistleblower Summit in Little Rock

PRNewswire

At 9 a.m. on April 22, Arkansas State Representatives Vivian Flowers, Ken Ferguson and Charles Blake became the first state representatives in the country to publicly support a National Whistleblower's Appreciation Day, to be held on July 30. The Arkansas state representatives went public with their proclamation at a news conference that was part of a two-day Whistleblower Summit at the Clinton Presidential Library.

In their proclamation, the lawmakers recognized the Founding Father's July 30, 1778 passage of America's first law to protect whistleblowers from retribution. The Arkansas lawmakers said, "Whistleblowers risk their careers and reputations by reporting waste, fraud, and abuse to the proper authorities in order to promote accountability, integrity, honesty, fairness, and transparency." They added, "The commemoration of July 30 as national Whistleblower Day recognizes the first law protecting whistleblowers and it recognizes the importance of whistleblowers to our nation's transparency and accountability."

Summit organizer Michael McCray, a native Arkansan who moved to Washington, D.C. with the Clinton administration, said the proclamation was the opening salvo of a 50-state campaign to make the special day a reality. That effort will continue, he said, July 27-29 when The Whistleblower Summit^® for Civil & Human Rights hosts its fifth annual event on Capitol Hill. read more »