The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2013 addressed a gap in U.S. enforcement: employees who exposed price fixing or related criminal conduct could face workplace retaliation without a dedicated federal protection mechanism. The bill was written in response to a July 2011 Government Accountability Office report on whistleblowing and price fixing. It would have prohibited employers from firing or discriminating against workers who reported antitrust violations to their employer or the federal government, or who assisted an investigation.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy introduced S. 42 on January 22, 2013, and the legislation was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. On November 4, 2013, the Senate approved it by unanimous consent. The proposed process required whistleblowers to file first with the Department of Labor; if no final decision came within 180 days, they could sue in federal court and seek relief restoring them financially. The National Whistleblowers Center supported the bill, with executive director Stephen Kohn calling it a step toward closing a loophole in existing protections. The supplied source identifies S. 42 as a bill rather than documenting enactment into law.
