July 01, 2008
Amendments to the False Claims Act were the subject of hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.
Among the witnesses at the June 19 hearings on HR 4854 were qui tam attorneys Shelley Slade and James Helmer, who spoke of the need for Congressional action. Among other things, the amendments would ensure that the False Claims Act covers government funds even when they are paid by government contractors to subcontractors . It would also allow the government to move to dismiss a suit on the grounds that the allegations had already been publicly disclosed, but would prevent defendants from doing so.
The House bill is a companion bill to S 2041.