CORE Act

2/8/2022, 11:17 PM

Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics Act of 2020 or the CORE Act

This bill establishes requirements for oversight, accountability, and transparency in the disbursement and supervision of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funds.

Among other things, the bill

  • prohibits conflicts of interest in the selection or hiring of contractors or advisors and in the distribution of relief grants and loans;
  • allows inspectors general to be fired only for specified reasons;
  • grants the Congressional Oversight Commission, established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), subpoena authority for testimony and documents and expands its jurisdiction to include all COVID-19 relief funding, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the Small Business Administration (SBA);
  • requires the Department of the Treasury to submit a weekly list of any instances in which the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Relief or the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee believe the executive branch has unreasonably denied them information;
  • requires lobbyists to make monthly disclosures regarding all lobbying related to COVID-19 relief spending or lending;
  • establishes whistle-blower protections for government contractors and private sector workers who may witness waste, fraud, or abuse or be victims of misconduct;
  • requires the SBA to publicly disclose information about PPP lenders and recipients, including loan amounts; and
  • allows any individual harmed by a company's misuse of industry stabilization funds to seek recourse through the courts.
Congress
116
Number
HR - 7076
Introduced on
2020-06-01
# Amendments
0
Sponsors
+5
Cosponsors
+5

Variations and Revisions

6/1/2020
Text
PDF
XML

Status of Legislation

Bill Introduced
Introduced to House
House to Vote
Introduced to Senate
Senate to Vote

Purpose and Summary

Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics Act of 2020 or the CORE Act

This bill establishes requirements for oversight, accountability, and transparency in the disbursement and supervision of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funds.

Among other things, the bill

  • prohibits conflicts of interest in the selection or hiring of contractors or advisors and in the distribution of relief grants and loans;
  • allows inspectors general to be fired only for specified reasons;
  • grants the Congressional Oversight Commission, established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), subpoena authority for testimony and documents and expands its jurisdiction to include all COVID-19 relief funding, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the Small Business Administration (SBA);
  • requires the Department of the Treasury to submit a weekly list of any instances in which the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Relief or the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee believe the executive branch has unreasonably denied them information;
  • requires lobbyists to make monthly disclosures regarding all lobbying related to COVID-19 relief spending or lending;
  • establishes whistle-blower protections for government contractors and private sector workers who may witness waste, fraud, or abuse or be victims of misconduct;
  • requires the SBA to publicly disclose information about PPP lenders and recipients, including loan amounts; and
  • allows any individual harmed by a company's misuse of industry stabilization funds to seek recourse through the courts.
Alternative Names
Official Title as IntroducedTo ensure ethical and accountable use of COVID-19 relief funds, to prevent corruption and bias in the disbursement and supervision of those funds, and for other purposes.
Policy Areas
Government Operations and Politics
Potential Impact
Administrative law and regulatory procedures•
Advisory bodies•
Afghanistan•
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration•
Architect of the Capitol•
Asia•
Banking and financial institutions regulation•
Business expenses•
Cardiovascular and respiratory health•
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)•
Civil actions and liability•
Congressional agencies•
Congressional operations and organization•
Congressional oversight•
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation•
Department of Labor•
Emergency medical services and trauma care•
Employment discrimination and employee rights•
Evidence and witnesses•
Executive Office of the President•
Family relationships•
Federal officials•
Financial crises and stabilization•
Fraud offenses and financial crimes•
Government Accountability Office (GAO)•
Government Publishing Office (GPO)•
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management•
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption•
Government information and archives•
Government lending and loan guarantees•
Government studies and investigations•
Health programs administration and funding•
Infectious and parasitic diseases•
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information•
Judicial review and appeals•
Law enforcement officers•
Library of Congress•
Licensing and registrations•
Office of Government Ethics•
Personnel records•
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents•
Public contracts and procurement•
Public participation and lobbying•
Reconstruction and stabilization•
Right of privacy•
Small business•
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers•
U.S. Capitol•
Wages and earnings•
Worker safety and health

Comments

Related

Member:  Max Rose

Recent Activity

Latest Summary7/6/2020

Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics Act of 2020 or the CORE Act

This bill establishes requirements for oversight, accountability, and transparency in the disbursement and supervision of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019...

Latest Action6/1/2020
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Financial Services, Education and Labor, Small Business, House Administration, Intelligence (Permanent Select), Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, an...