When an individual "blows the whistle," he or she reports an illegal, dangerous, wasteful, or unethical act by that person's employer to the proper authorities. Therefore, "whistleblower" laws are intended to protect employees who blow the whistle from being terminated or otherwise retaliated against for their actions.
Virtually all states protect public sector employees, such as state government workers, but some states also provide similar protections for private sector employees. Employees who blow the whistle in good faith are protected by these laws, even if the alleged illegal activity is not confirmed by the authorities.
New Hampshire Whistleblower Protections at a Glance
New Hampshire has two separate whistleblower statutes, one of which covers public employees and the other which protects both private and public employees. If you are a federal employee working in New Hampshire, you can learn more about the law and the complaint filing process at the Department of Labor's Whistleblowers.gov Web site.
See the following charts to learn more about New Hampshire's whistleblower protections. See FindLaw's Whistleblowers section for more articles and resources.
| Code Section | 98-E:1, et seq. |
| Prohibited Employer Activity | Cannot interfere in any way with employee's right to publicly discuss and give opinions as an individual on all matters concerning the state and its policies, unless its disclosure is on confidential and privileged records or communication |
| Protection for Public or Private Employees? | Public |
| Opportunity for Employer to Correct? | - |
| Remedies | - |
| Penalties | If willfully and knowingly violates any provision is guilty of a violation |
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| Code Section | 275-E:1, et seq. |
| Prohibited Employer Activity | Cannot discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate if employee reports violation of any state, federal or political subdivision law or rule, or testifies as to a violation or refuses to execute a directive which would result in a violation |
| Protection for Public or Private Employees? | Both |
| Opportunity for Employer to Correct? | Must first bring allegation to supervisor and allow for a reasonable opportunity to correct unless employee has specific reason to believe notice wouldn't result in prompt remedy of violation |
| Remedies | Employee must first make a reasonable effort to remedy incident though in house grievance procedure, then can get hearing with labor commissioner or his/her designee who can reinstate, order back pay, fringe benefits, and seniority rights as well as injunctive relief |
| Penalties | Failure to comply with rules shall be a violation for each day of noncompliance |
Note: State laws are always subject to change, usually through the enactment of newly signed legislation but sometimes through higher court decisions and other means. You may want to contact a New Hampshire whistleblower attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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New Hampshire Whistleblower Laws: Related Resources
