# 119-s-4016: Stop Unemployment Fraud Act

119-s-4016, Stop Unemployment Fraud Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4016
- As of: 2026-08-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4016
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Unemployment Fraud Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-05
- Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-06

## Summary

**Tighten identity checks and data matching** to reduce unemployment insurance fraud. It would also require stronger weekly work-search evidence and let states use a small share of recovered overpayments to improve program operations. - Claimants would need to show a current Federal or State photo ID plus supporting documents and keep a verified weekly work-search log to receive benefits. States must verify those documents and entries. - States must use a Labor Department integrity data hub and match against the National Directory of New Hires, death records, and jail records to detect ineligible claimants. The Labor Secretary can withhold 5 percent of certain funds from states that do not comply, and many rules take effect for claims starting 2 years after enactment. - States may deposit up to 5 percent of recovered overpayments and certain investigation collections into a fund for fraud detection, technology modernization, proper worker classification, and other administration improvements. Employers would use the State Information Data Exchange System or equivalents to respond to information requests.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stricter ID checks and payment timing: cost, high. If enacted, States would have to verify claimant identity using at least one current Federal or State ID plus supporting documents. If enacted, payments would only be due after eligibility and weekly requirements (including ID checks) are confirmed. If enacted, a claimant's self-attestation alone w…
- Weekly work-search and registration rules: cost, medium. If enacted, regular unemployment claimants would need to register for State employment services as required to be 'actively seeking work.' If enacted, claimants would have to keep a weekly work-search record listing employers contacted, how they contacted them, and the date. If enacted, claimants w…
- Federal penalties for noncompliant States: cost, medium. If enacted, the Labor Secretary would monitor State compliance with identity-verification and payment-timing rules. If a State is found not in compliance after notice and hearing, the Secretary could withhold 5 percent of certain federal UI administrative funds and require a corrective action plan.…
- States may keep small share of recoveries: mixed, medium. If enacted, a State could deposit up to 5 percent of recovered UI overpayments (except those from agency error) into a State fund. If enacted, a State could also deposit up to 5 percent of contributions collected from investigations and assessments into that fund. Money in the fund would be limited…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-84: Sarah's Law
- 119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4016 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4016)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-84: Sarah's Law](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-84)
- [119-s-558: Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-558)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4016 (as of 2026-08-06).