Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
Latest action · Jul 13, 2026 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 19, 2026
- Passed HouseJun 29, 2026
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
This bill extends 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 bill also establishes a task force to locate fraudulent payments and develop strategies to recover such payments.
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 (currently subject to a 5-year statute of limitations); and (2) civil actions involving false claims (currently subject to a 6-year statute of limitations). 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.
The task force established by this bill must
- coordinate with state agencies to identify federal pandemic unemployment compensation payments held by financial institutions and other entities or held by state agencies responsible for unclaimed property,
- coordinate with federal agencies to develop model processes that result in the cost-effective recovery of such payments,
- issue guidance to financial institutions on legal pathways for returning such payments, and
- issue guidance to state unclaimed property agencies on their obligation to review and return such payments.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 19, 2026 to May 21, 2026, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| R-IA | Randy Feenstra | May 21, 2026 |
Actions 16
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 13, 2026Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Jun 29, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules.
- Jun 29, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4269-4272)
- Jun 29, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 8873.
- Jun 29, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1156 | Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act | Related bill | Mar 13, 2025 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector.
- Advisory bodies
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government studies and investigations
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Intergovernmental relations
- State and local finance
- State and local government operations
- Unemployment
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 13, 2026Referred in Senate
- Jun 29, 2026Engrossed in House
- May 29, 2026Reported in House
- May 19, 2026Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
