S. 121 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 16, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends time limit for COVID fraud prosecutions
Right now, the government generally has five years to prosecute people who committed fraud during COVID-19 relief programs. This bill would extend that time limit to 10 years for most of those programs, matching the 10-year limit already in place for two major programs: the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. That means prosecutors would have more time to investigate and bring charges against people who tried to cheat the system.
How it affects you
This change primarily affects law enforcement and prosecutors investigating COVID relief fraud. For everyday people, it means there's a longer window for authorities to hold accountable anyone who fraudulently received pandemic assistance money that wasn't rightfully theirs.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 16, 2025)
Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act
This bill extends the statute of limitations (i.e., time limit for bringing a legal action) to 10 years for criminal and civil violations involving specified COVID-19 pandemic relief programs, such as violations involving fraudulent activity. Under current law, the statute of limitations is generally five years for violations concerning these pandemic-era programs. The Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program currently have 10-year statutes of limitations relating to program fraud.
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 SessionS. 121
A BILL
Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act
Sponsor: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) · Introduced Jan 16, 2025 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 16, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.”