Bill > HB1507

This bill expands protections for whistleblowers reporting fraud and abuse within local governments by adding the Auditor of Public Accounts to the list of "appropriate authorities" that individuals can report to, meaning this state official can now receive and act on whistleblower complaints. The bill also mandates that local governments must annually inform all their employees in writing about their rights under the Fraud and Abuse Whistle Blower Protection Act, including the right to report directly to the State Inspector General or the Auditor of Public Accounts, and requires local governments to prominently display this information in common employee notice areas and on their internal websites. Furthermore, the Auditor of Public Accounts is now explicitly authorized to conduct any necessary audits, reviews, or investigations of a local government's accounts and records related to these whistleblower protections.