Section 25-9-173 - Prohibition against dismissing or adversely affecting compensation or employment status of public employee for providing information to investigative body; reprisals and retaliatory actions; conditions for recovery of damages and other remedies(1) No agency shall dismiss or otherwise adversely affect the compensation or employment status of any public employee because the public employee testified or provided information to a state investigative body whether or not the testimony or information is provided under oath.(2) Any person who is a whistleblower, as defined in Section 25-9-171, and who as a result of being a whistleblower has been subjected to workplace reprisal or retaliatory action, is entitled to the remedies provided under Section 25-9-175. For the purpose of this section, "reprisal or retaliatory action" means, but is not limited to: (a) Unwarranted and unsubstantiated letters of reprimand or unsatisfactory performance evaluations;(g) Denial of employment.(3) An employee who has filed a valid whistleblower complaint may not recover the damages and other remedies provided under Section 25-9-175 unless the dismissal or adverse action taken against him was the direct result of providing information to a state investigative body.(4) Nothing in this section prohibits a governmental entity from making any decision exercising its authority to terminate, suspend or discipline an employee who engages in workplace reprisal or retaliatory action against a whistleblower.(5) A governmental entity is not precluded from taking any action in accordance with established personnel policies against an employee who knowingly and intentionally provides false information to a state investigative body.Laws, 1991, ch. 454, § 2; Laws, 1999, ch. 424, § 3, eff. 3/18/1999.