State of Wisconsin Department of Justice v. State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

¶ 62. The Wisconsin Legislature recognized the important role of whistleblowers in maintaining accountable government. The legislative purpose of the statute is expressly declared: "It is the policy of this state to encourage disclosure of information . . . and to ensure that any employee employed by a governmental unit is protected from retaliatory action for disclosing information .. ." Wis. Stat. § 230.01(2).

¶ 63. Employees are encouraged to disclose information, including a violation of any law or regulation and any mismanagement or substantial waste of public funds. Wis. Stat. §…