Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act
Sponsored By: Senator John Cornyn
Introduced
Summary
Creates permanent federal debarment for child care providers found to have committed fraud. It would link fraud findings to repayment, state penalties, and new immigration bars and removal rules for alien providers.
Show full summary
- Families using federal child care assistance could lose access to debarred providers because States must deny participation and funding to those providers.
- Child care providers found to have committed fraud would face mandatory permanent debarment from all federal child care programs, required reimbursement or recoupment of improper expenditures, and possible reductions to a State's administrative allotment up to the fraud amount.
- Alien child care workers who are permanently debarred for fraud would be inadmissible, deportable, and barred from asylum or adjustment of status, and could face expedited removal and mandatory detention; the bill also bars aliens who provided funds to terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab and applies to fraud conduct on or after Sept 30, 1996 when no arrest or charge existed at enactment.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Permanent ban on fraudulent providers
If enacted, the HHS Secretary would permanently bar any child care provider with a final fraud determination from all federal child care programs. A final determination would mean a court decision or administrative order with all appeals finished that finds knowing false statements, fake enrollment or attendance, wrong use of funds, operating without required state licensing, or similar fraud. HHS would be able to recoup misspent money and require the State that paid to reimburse those funds. HHS could deduct up to the fraud amount from the State's CCDBG administrative allotment for the following fiscal year. If the debarment were based on an administrative order, HHS would have to refer the case to the Attorney General for criminal investigation.
Immigration penalties for debarred providers
If enacted, immigrants permanently debarred for child care fraud would be inadmissible to the United States and deportable. They would be barred from asylum and from getting a green card on those fraud grounds, and could not show good moral character for immigration purposes. The bill would add mandatory detention and expand expedited removal for these cases, while allowing the alien to submit written information for review. The immigration changes would apply to fraud conduct on or after September 30, 1996, and only to people not arrested, charged, or indicted before enactment. The bill would also add inadmissibility where a provider received funds used to support terrorist groups, including al-Shabaab.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
John Cornyn
TX • R
Cosponsors
John Kennedy
LA • R
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Rick Scott
FL • R
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Tommy Tuberville
AL • R
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Marsha Blackburn
TN • R
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Ashley Moody
FL • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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