Bill > HR1156

This bill extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud related to pandemic unemployment assistance programs to 10 years from the date of the violation. Specifically, the bill amends the CARES Act to allow criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions for fraud involving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) to be brought up to 10 years after the violation occurred. The extension applies to various types of fraud, including conspiracy, false statements, identity theft, and financial crimes, as defined in specific sections of the U.S. Code. The bill includes an important exception: if the statute of limitations for a particular case had already expired before the bill's enactment, the new 10-year limit would not apply. To offset the costs of implementing this extension, the bill rescinds $5 million from previously unobligated balances. The amendments will take effect on the date of the bill's enactment, providing law enforcement with a longer window to investigate and prosecute unemployment benefit fraud that occurred during the pandemic.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1156/all-info