Today, the U.S House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on “Oversight of the False Claims Act.”
False Claims Act filings and recoveries have reached new highs recently. The Department of Justice expects to collect over $5 billion in 2014, bringing the total since 1987 to about $39 billion recovered for the taxpayers. Whistleblowers have earned some $4.3 million in rewards under the law.
Amidst this success, it is perhaps not surprising that the business community, led in part by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is trying to blunt the effectiveness of the law with various legislative proposals.
The testimony to be delivered at today’s FCA hearing is attached and can also be found on the Committee’s website. The testimony provides an interesting read from both sides of the debate.
Senator Grassley, one of the co-sponsors of the 1986 amendments to the FCA that have been key to its success, offered prepared remarks to the Judiciary Committee about the importance of the False Claims Act. He continues to be a champion of the FCA, whistleblowers, and the taxpayers.
His statement includes the following:
One of the smartest things Congress has ever done is to empower whistleblowers to help the government combat fraud. They get results. Without whistleblowers, the government simply does not have the capability to identify and prosecute the ever-expanding and creative schemes to bilk the taxpayers. That is not rhetoric. That is history.
