BGOV Bill Analysis: H.R. 1156, Pandemic Unemployment Fraud

Federal prosecutors would have an additional five years to bring criminal and civil charges for defrauding Covid-related unemployment insurance programs under H.R. 1156.

The measure specifically would extend to 10 years the statute of limitations for federal fraud and money laundering cases and civil enforcement actions involving four unemployment programs established in March 2020 by the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) and subsequent legislation in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-era programs — Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation — provided expanded benefits and coverage to ...