GOSHEN – New York has a whistleblower law that is meant to protect municipal employees from retribution, but some counties in the Hudson Valley have enhanced it with their own version.

Ulster County last year adopted its own and Sullivan County is considering its own.

Now, Orange County Legislature Minority Leader Jeffrey Berkman said he would like to see his county adopt one to better protect county employees.

“We want to make sure that they are protected. The last thing we want is to have the county government breathing down the necks of workers that are trying to protect themselves and the public interest,” he said. “We have to make sure they are protected.”

Berkman said he would hope a whistleblower law would include a telephone hotline for employees to call.