Penalties For Knowingly Misleading Government Policymakers In The Course Of Informing, Creating, And Instituting Public Health Policy
Our policymakers and legislators are stretched thin. They can’t possibly digest hundreds of pages of data every day. Instead they rely on paid research(ers), testimony, and speed-reading aides to summarize and recapitulate. This is where false claims, lies by omission, and fabrications commonly slip into the matrix. First-person testimony is of course a more obvious but less frequent point vulnerability.
If someone lies to policymakers, or knowingly provides false information in the course of influencing policy creation, charges should be levied immediately in the same manner someone might be charged for contempt in civil court. A defense of, Don’t shoot the messenger, should not be applicable if the source had reasonable opportunity to verify third-party claims.
Our justice department is overwhelmed and too busy to focus on singular lies, the accumulation of which is one of the things that leads to being overwhelmed in the first place. Whistleblowers have to hire or work with lawyers to file a qui tam, which can take years, during which time tainted policy can be enacted and become institutionally rooted. Policy watchdog groups are underfunded, understaffed and burning the candle at both ends, constantly. Why in the world would there not be a mechanism in place for open source discovery and submission of actionable proof of misrepresentation that has traction? Why can’t there be a standard reward, outside the framework of qui tam, for demonstrating, beyond any doubt, that someone has lied to policymakers?
An official office, employing researchers, analysts, lawyers, policy jockeys, etc., could be created to evaluate submission forms comprising: what is the lie, what is the truth, proof of intent, supporting (evidentiary) facts.
Pending investigation…
First minor offense - fine (all fines should be substantive and increase up the scale)
Second minor offense - fine and jail time
Third minor offense - fine, loss of position, and prison sentence
First major offense - fine, and criminal investigation + outcome
Second major offense - fine, loss of position, criminal investigation +outcome, and civil liability
Minor = did not cause serious harm/damages to occur
Major = did (and maybe would have?) cause serious harm/damages to occur
Reward = percentage of fine
Fine = partial funding for the initiative