SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — State Senator Scott Wilk introduced two new pieces of legislation Wednesday in response to CBS13’s year-long investigation into the state’s troubled COVID-19 testing lab.
The investigation gave a voice to brave whistleblowers who risked their careers in the interest of public health and it shined a spotlight on shocking public health failures that it appeared the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) tried to hide.
The legislation transcends COVID and is intended to ensure accountability and transparency long after the pandemic is over.
The first bill, SB 947, would extend whistleblower protections from government employees to include employees of government contractors like PerkinElmer, which was given a $1.7 billion no-bid lab contract and then sued a whistleblower who also reported problems at the lab, and threatened to sue others.
Wilk also introduced a Constitutional Amendment (SCA 7), which would require approval from the legislature before a no-bid state contract of more than $25 million could be renewed.
The Newsom administration quietly renewed PerkinElmer’s no-bid contract amid ongoing state and federal investigations of the lab, and despite the fact that the lab is still failing to return results in 48 hours, which is required in its contract.
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