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; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from 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 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred May 19, 2026Markup May 21, 2026Reported May 29, 2026 |
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Jul 13, 2026 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 13, 2026Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Jun 29, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4269-4270)
- Jun 29, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4269-4272)
- Jun 29, 2026Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- 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.
- May 29, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 119-671.
- May 29, 2026Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 585.
- May 21, 2026Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- May 21, 2026Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 41 - 0.
- May 19, 2026Introduced in House
- May 19, 2026Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H4269–H4272Text printed H4269 | Beth Van Duyne R-TX, Jason Smith R-MO, Thomas R. Suozzi D-NY | Jun 29, 2026 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jun 25, 2026H.R. 8873, Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks ActAs reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on May 29, 2026
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 85, May 19, 2026, page H3628.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R48447 | Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 119th Congress | Report | Jul 16, 2026 |
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 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To recover unclaimed pandemic-era unemployment compensation funds held by financial institutions or escheated to State unclaimed property administrators, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Recover COVID Unemployment Fraud in Banks Act
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To recover unclaimed pandemic-era unemployment compensation funds held by financial institutions or escheated to State unclaimed property administrators, and for other purposes.
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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
