HR-8312 — Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Your MoneyWorkers & JobsCivil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessTransparency & Accountability

A new Treasury fraud watchdog would open in 2028 — it could review the records of anyone who got federal aid or loans.

Your Money

Fraud checks before aid is paid — agencies may screen benefit payments

Treasury would run a program that checks people and businesses against a central fraud list before a payment goes out. Agencies and states would take part by choice, not by rule.

Workers & Jobs

Job protection for pandemic watchdog staff — same pay and terms kept

Staff at the pandemic relief watchdog would move to the new office. Their pay and job terms would stay much the same.

Civil Liberties

Limits on the fraud data program — no policy or enforcement uses

Data shared through the new fraud program could be used for two things only. Those are catching fraud and stopping wrong payments. Policy studies and enforcement are ruled out.

Privacy of your federal aid records — fraud office may receive them

The bill treats the new office as a law enforcement body. The Privacy Act lets agencies share files with such a body. So records about people who got federal money could flow to it.

Privacy of federal payment data — Treasury could pull it in real time

A Treasury unit could take in payment records in large batches, as they happen. It would use the data to spot fraud patterns across agencies and states.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Fraud cases sent to prosecutors — Attorney General told right away

If the office thinks a federal crime took place, it would have to tell the Attorney General at once. It could also help prosecutors build the case.

Law enforcement powers for investigators — no Attorney General sign-off needed

The new office would be listed among watchdog offices whose agents have law enforcement powers. The Attorney General normally has to sign off first. Here that step would be skipped.

Aid data used in criminal cases — beyond fraud checks alone

Treasury could pass the data it collects to other federal agencies. They could use it in criminal cases, not just fraud checks.

Transparency & Accountability

Permanent fraud watchdog — Senate-confirmed office opens December 31, 2028

A new watchdog post would sit inside the Treasury Department. The President would name the person. The Senate would then vote on them.

Findings posted for the public — every report on one website

The office would have to run a public website and post all of its reports there. It would also carry findings from other agency watchdogs and state auditors.

Agencies must answer findings — or tell Congress why not

When the office finds a problem, an agency would have to fix it. If it disagrees, it would have to tell Congress in writing that no action is needed.

Fraud warnings before big spending bills — measures over $100 billion reviewed

Before Congress passes relief bills over $100 billion, Treasury would send lawmakers advice on fraud risk. The same goes for new programs that would spend over $100 million in one year.

Public access to the office's files — treated as law enforcement records

Files held by the office would count as law enforcement records. The public could be turned down when asking for them. So could a person asking for their own file.

Pandemic relief watchdog closes early — 2034 end date moved to 2028

The pandemic relief watchdog was set to run until September 30, 2034. It would shut down on December 31, 2028. Its staff, data tools, and leftover funds would move to the new office.

More about this bill

If you got money from the government, a new fraud office could review your payment records. That covers unemployment pay, SBA loans, disaster aid, and grants of $50,000 or more. It also covers relief funds from the CARES Act and later recovery laws. Treasury could take in those records in bulk, as payments happen. Agencies and states could also check people against a central fraud list before paying them. Taking part in that check would be their choice, not a rule. Most people would never hear from the office. The office would open on December 31, 2028. Its head would be an Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery. The President would pick that person, and the Senate would vote on them. It would take over from the panel that watched pandemic relief spending. That panel was set to run until September 30, 2034. It would close at the end of 2028 instead. Its staff, data tools, and leftover money would move to the new office. The new office's own yearly funding — $10 million — would not start until 2035. The office would post all of its reports on a public website. Agencies would have to fix problems it finds, or tell Congress why they will not. Treasury would also warn Congress about fraud risk in bills over $100 billion. But the office's own files would count as law enforcement records. That limits what you or a reporter could get from it under open records law.

Congressional Summary

Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act This bill (1) assigns financial integrity, improper payment prevention, and spending transparency functions to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) within the Department of the Treasury; (2) establishes an Office of the Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery (OIGFAR) within Treasury; and (3) requires Treasury to enter into data sharing agreements with other federal agencies and allowable private entities to prevent fraud and improper payments. Functions assigned to BFS by the bill include administering the Do Not Pay system (which provides federal agencies and federally funded state-administered programs the ability to verify recipient identity and eligibility before making an award or issuing a payment); maintaining a voluntary governmentwide program to provide data sharing and analysis to federal agencies and to state, local, or tribal governments responsible for administering a federally funded program in order to detect fraud and prevent improper payments that result in financial loss; and supporting OIGFAR by providing access to information technology and data. The duties of OIGFAR include auditing and investigating the use of certain federal funds, such as funds, loans, and tax credits made available by various coronavirus response laws; any federal award of $50,000 or more; and emergency spending related to disaster relief or economic recovery. OIGFAR must ensure the expeditious reporting of suspected violations of federal criminal law to the Department of Justice. OIGFAR is authorized to provide investigative support to prosecutive and enforcement authorities to protect program integrity and prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud.

Legislative Subjects

Accounting and auditingAdvisory bodiesComputers and information technologyCongressional oversightData collection, sharing, protectionDepartment of the TreasuryExecutive agency funding and structureFederal officialsFraud offenses and financial crimesIntergovernmental relationsInternet, web applications, social media

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Passed House
Action Date: 2026-06-10
Date Added: 2026-06-08
Source: Congress.gov →

Like reading a bill in plain English?

We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.