H.R. 1156 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Mar 11, 2025. Received Mar 12, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends deadline for pandemic unemployment fraud cases
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government created several unemployment insurance programs to help people quickly. Some people fraudulently claimed benefits they weren't entitled to. This bill gives prosecutors and the government more time to pursue those cases by extending the deadline to bring criminal charges or civil lawsuits from 5 years to 10 years after the fraud occurs. The extension applies to four specific pandemic unemployment programs.
How it affects you
This mainly affects people who committed fraud against pandemic unemployment programs and law enforcement officials pursuing those cases. For the general public, it means investigators have a longer window to pursue people who wrongly took pandemic unemployment benefits. The bill also reduces funding that was set aside for the Department of Labor to prevent fraud and maintain program integrity.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 10, 2025)
Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act
This bill extends from 5 to 10 years the statute of limitations for federal criminal charges or civil enforcement actions for fraud related to several unemployment insurance programs that were established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The extension applies to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation. The bill extends the statute of limitations for (1) criminal charges related to fraud, including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud; and (2) civil actions involving false claims. However, the bill does not apply to a criminal prosecution or civil enforcement action if the applicable statute of limitations expired before the date of the bill's enactment.
Additionally, the bill rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to the Department of Labor for anti-fraud and program integrity activities.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1156
AN ACT
Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO-8) · Introduced Feb 10, 2025 · Labor and Employment · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 13, 2025: “Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 29.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsHouse · On Passage · Mar 11, 2025
Passage Passed 295–127
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 83 | 127 | 4 |
| Republicans | 212 | 0 | 6 |
83 members voted against most of their party: 83 Democrats voted Yes.
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.