Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act
Sponsored By: Senator Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would extend the statute of limitations to 10 years for violations tied to pandemic-era relief programs. It also defines which laws count as "pandemic-era" and applies the timing rules to criminal prosecutions, civil forfeiture, and False Claims Act suits related to covered COVID-19 funding such as the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
Show full summary
- Prosecutors and defendants: Criminal prosecutions for covered pandemic-era program violations could be started up to 10 years after the offense, replacing the generally shorter limit for many programs.
- Civil forfeiture: Forfeiture actions under the customs laws must begin within 10 years after discovery of the alleged violation or within 3 years after discovery of the property's involvement, whichever is later, with exceptions for absence or concealment.
- False Claims Act cases: Civil suits under 31 U.S.C. 3730 for pandemic-era fraud could be filed no more than 10 years after the violation, and related statutory notices must be sent within 10 years.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits on pandemic-era fraud cases
If enacted, the bill would set new time limits for fraud tied to pandemic-era programs. Criminal prosecutions would generally need to start within 10 years after the offense. Civil forfeiture cases must start within 10 years after discovery of the alleged violation or within 3 years after discovering the property’s involvement, whichever is later. Time a person is out of the United States or the property is hidden would not count toward the 10 years. False Claims Act lawsuits and required notices about these violations would also generally be barred after 10 years. The bill would apply only to programs or funding from listed pandemic-era laws, like the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 2/19/2025
Ron Johnson
WI • R
Sponsored 2/24/2025
Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 2/24/2025
Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 2/24/2025
Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO]
MO • R
Sponsored 2/24/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 2/27/2025
Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH]
OH • R
Sponsored 2/27/2025
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 2/27/2025
Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL]
FL • R
Sponsored 3/5/2025
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 3/5/2025
Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 4/1/2025
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov