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HR-8467House2026-06-10Government Operations and Politics

ZOMBIE Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Transparency & AccountabilityCivil Liberties

Narrows what counts as a bad payment, so the reported total drops while the same money goes out.

Transparency & Accountability

New fraud estimate — share of losses caused by recipient fraud

Reports would have to estimate how much of the lost money came from fraud by the person or business paid. They would also show total payments and the share that cost money.

Fraud-control reporting added — staffing, gaps, and prevention steps at each agency

Agencies would report on the staff and systems they use to fight fraud. If an agency has no team leading that work, it would have to explain in detail why not.

Payment error estimates — added to agencies' yearly budget requests

Each agency would put this estimate in the yearly budget request it sends to Congress. Lawmakers would see the number while they decide funding.

Oversight meetings widened — agency watchdog and fraud panel added

Today these agencies meet once a year with the budget office. The bill would add the Treasury, the agency watchdog, and the pandemic fraud panel.

What counts as an improper payment — paperwork-only errors excluded

A payment would count as improper only if it cost the government money. One sent to the right person for the right amount would not count, even if a paperwork step was missed.

Plans to fix payment errors — no longer published

Agencies now must publish their plans to fix payment errors to be judged in line with the law. That test would go away, but watchdogs would still check if agencies are cutting payment errors.

Two key payment reports — moved from yearly to every 3 years

The yearly agency risk report and the yearly report on high-error programs would each be due at least once every 3 years instead. Both would carry more detail than they do today.

Funding to improve agency finances — ceiling drops from 25% to 10%

Up to 25% of money recovered in audits can now go toward improving an agency's financial systems. The bill would lower that ceiling to 10%.

Civil Liberties

Fraud checks moved earlier — screening before eligibility is decided

Agencies would report which lists they check people against before approving aid or paying. New guidance would also cover checks made before a grant is given.

More about this bill

You would not see a change in your own money or benefits. What would change is the number the government reports for payment errors. The bill would add a new term: "financial loss to the Government." It means a payment made for more than the correct legal amount. A payment that reached the right person for the right amount would not count. That holds true even if the agency skipped a required step. Agencies reported about $186 billion in improper payments in 2025. Future reports would count only the part that cost money. Agencies would no longer have to publish their plans to fix payment errors. Agency watchdogs, called inspectors general, would still check whether agencies are cutting payment errors. Two key reports would move from every year to at least every 3 years. Both reports would carry more detail than they do today. Agencies would have to estimate how much was lost to fraud by the person paid. They would also report on the staff and controls they use to stop fraud. Agencies could keep more of the money they get back. Up to 75% of funds recovered in audits could return to the program that overpaid, up from 25%. The share set aside to improve agency financial systems would drop from 25% to 10%. The Treasury Department would have one year to write new risk rules. Agencies would then have six months to check their listed programs for risk.

Congressional Summary

Congress's official summary of this bill still describes an earlier version of the text, so we have left it out here. You can read it on Congress.gov.

Congress.gov →

Legislative Subjects

Accounting and auditingCongressional oversightFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment information and archives

Details

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

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