Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act

Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act

This bill addresses fraud and overpayments of pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, including by providing incentives for states to investigate and recover overpayments of these benefits.

Specifically, the bill allows states to retain 25% of any recovered fraudulent overpayments. These retained funds may be used for modernizing unemployment compensation systems and information technology, reimbursing administrative costs, hiring fraud investigators and prosecutors, and for other program integrity activities.

Additionally, the bill allows states to retain 5% of any overpayments of regular and extended UI benefits. A state must, in order to retain these overpayments, certify that it has met certain conditions for data matching.

Next, the bill extends from 3 to 10 years the time during which states can recover overpayments of pandemic UI benefits.

Further, the bill extends flexibilities for states to hire temporary staff on a noncompetitive basis to identify, pursue, and recover fraudulent overpayments under federal pandemic unemployment compensation programs authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

The bill also extends from 5 to 10 years the statute of limitations for federal criminal charges or civil enforcement actions related to UI fraud.

Finally, the bill repeals a section of the CARES Act (as amended by the American Rescue Plan of 2021) that provided funding for UI program integrity activities. Subject to appropriations, the unobligated balance of this funding shall be transferred to the Department of the Treasury and periodically credited to the appropriate state account in the Unemployment Trust Fund, as outlined by the bill.

Bill 118 hr 1163, also known as the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act, aims to address the issue of unemployment fraud in the United States. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 25, 2021, by Representative Jackie Walorski.

The main purpose of the bill is to protect taxpayers and individuals who have been victims of unemployment fraud by requiring states to implement stronger measures to prevent and detect fraudulent unemployment claims. This includes implementing identity verification measures, conducting regular audits of unemployment claims, and improving coordination between state and federal agencies to identify and investigate fraudulent activity.

Additionally, the bill seeks to increase penalties for individuals who commit unemployment fraud, including fines and potential imprisonment. It also includes provisions to provide additional resources to states to help them combat fraud and improve their unemployment insurance systems. Overall, the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act aims to strengthen the integrity of the unemployment insurance system and protect both taxpayers and individuals who rely on these benefits. The bill has received bipartisan support in Congress and is currently being considered by the House Committee on Ways and Means.