or to knowingly make any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation in such a report. (b) Penalties Whoever violates subsection (a) shall be subject to any one or more of the following penalties: (1) Criminal In the case of a person who is an individual, imprisonment for not more than 18 months. (2) Civil Such civil penalties as the Administrator, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Attorney General shall, by regulation, establish, which may include civil monetary penalties and fines, suspension and debarment from participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, and such other civil sanctions as such officials consider appropriate. In the case of any fine or monetary penalty collected pursuant to this paragraph, such amounts collected shall be paid to the owner of the property for which the claim involved was made. (c) Exemption The offense under subsection (a) is exempted from the applicability of the fine provided under section 3571 of title 18, United States Code. . 9. Whistleblower protection for employees (a) In general Part C of chapter 2 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section: 1352. Whistleblower protection for employees (a) In general No person shall terminate or in any other way discriminate against, or cause to be terminated or discriminated against, any covered employee or any authorized representative of covered employees by reason of the fact that such employee or representative, whether at the initiative of the employee or in the ordinary course of the duties of the employee (or any person acting pursuant to a request of the employee), has— (1) provided, caused to be provided, or is about to provide or cause to be provided, information to the employer, the Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or any other State, local, or Federal, government authority or law enforcement agency relating to any