Testimony & Legislative Comments

Legislative Comments

Thanks to Shelley Slade, Erika Kelton, Jim Breen, and Neil Getnick for their assistance.

Thanks to Ed Baker, Shelley Slade and Jackie DeMar, who did the heavy lifting on this project, and to Claire Sylvia and Zach Kitts for their contributions to the effort. Read the HHS proposal here.

On September 18th, 2018 we submitted comments to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the Commission’s proposal to amend the rules governing the SEC Whistleblower Program. Read a summary of our recommendations to the SEC in our blog here.

On July 17th 2018, TAFEF Member Claire Sylvia of Phillips & Cohen LLP, testified before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee to address the critical role that the Stark Law plays in ensuring the integrity of decision-making in federal healthcare programs in order to protect patients and the taxpaying public.

On January 12th 2018, Robert Patten submitted a testimony to commend the Guam Legislature and to offer insights to the public, the legal community, government officials, and advocacy organizations concerning the process, history and impact of whistleblower lawsuits filed under federal and state False Claims Acts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower programs. TAFEF is confident that a well-crafted incentivized integrity program in Guam, based on the U.S. False Claims Act, would reap benefits for many years to come.

On February 8 2017, Patrick Burns submitted a testimony on the success of the American False Claims Act, the importance of its qui tam provisions, and its ability to combat fraud.

On April 28, 2016, Taxpayers Against Fraud’s Chairman of the Board, Neil V. Getnick, testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, urging Congress to strengthen, not dilute, the bipartisan False Claims Act that empowers whistleblowers and has helped recovered tens of billions for taxpayers.

On Wednesday February 11, 2015 , Taxpayers Against Fraud’s Co-Executive Director Cleveland Lawrence III appeared before the Vermont House Judiciary Committee to speak in support of Vermont House Bill 120, also known as the Fair Claims Act.

On July 30, 2014, Judge John Clark, a member of the Board of Directors of the TAF Education Fund, and a former U.S. Attorney for West Texas, testified in support of the False Claims Act and presented four concrete proposals that would help deter fraud and recover more of America’s stolen billions:

The false claims act should be clarified to confirm that “damages” caused by fraud means “gross damages”.
Tax fraud should be covered by the false claims act.
Big fraud cases should result in personal consequences for the individuals responsible, just as they do in small cases.
Congress should allowed the United States to recover its attorney fees and expenses and a successful false claims act case.

On Tuesday January 28th 2014, Taxpayers Against Fraud’s Co-Executive Director Patrick Burns appeared before the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee to speak in support of West Virginia’s House Bill 4001, also known as the Fair Claims Act.

Joseph E. B. White, President & C.E.O., Taxpayers Against Fraud, Hearing on Proposals to Fight Fraud and Protect Taxpayers: False Claims Act Corrections Act of 2009, House Judiciary Committee, April 1, 2009.

The federal government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to fund Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs. It is essential that as much as possible be done to ensure that these funds are not lost to fraud, but are spent on purchasing health care services for the more than 90 million Americans these programs serve.