Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB121 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 121
5	5	To extend the statute of limitations for violations relating to pandemic-
6	6	era programs to be 10 years.
7	7	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
8	8	JANUARY16, 2025
9	9	Mr. L
10	10	ANKFORD(for himself, Ms. ERNST, and Mr. COONS) introduced the fol-
11	11	lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the
12	12	Judiciary
13	13	A BILL
14	14	To extend the statute of limitations for violations relating
15	15	to pandemic-era programs to be 10 years.
16	16	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
17	17	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
18	18	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
19	19	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recover Fraudulent 4
20	20	COVID Funds Act’’. 5
21	21	SEC. 2. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR VIOLATIONS RELAT-6
22	22	ING TO PANDEMIC-ERA PROGRAMS. 7
23	23	(a) D
24	24	EFINITIONS.—In this section— 8
25	25	(1) the term ‘‘pandemic-era law’’ means— 9
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28	28	•S 121 IS
29	29	(A) the Coronavirus Preparedness and Re-1
30	30	sponse Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 2
31	31	(Public Law 116–123; 134 Stat. 146); 3
32	32	(B) the Families First Coronavirus Re-4
33	33	sponse Act (Public Law 116–127; 134 Stat. 5
34	34	177); 6
35	35	(C) the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 7
36	36	134 Stat. 281); 8
37	37	(D) the Paycheck Protection Program and 9
38	38	Health Care Enhancement Act (Public Law 10
39	39	116–139; 134 Stat. 620); 11
40	40	(E) divisions M and N of the Consolidated 12
41	41	Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116– 13
42	42	260; 134 Stat. 1182); 14
43	43	(F) the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 15
44	44	(Public Law 117–2; 135 Stat. 4); or 16
45	45	(G) an amendment made by a law de-17
46	46	scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (F); and 18
47	47	(2) the term ‘‘pandemic-era program violation’’ 19
48	48	means an offense or other violation of law involving 20
49	49	conduct that relates to or involves— 21
50	50	(A) a program, project, or activity that 22
51	51	was authorized or established by, or was carried 23
52	52	out under, a pandemic-era law; or 24
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55	55	•S 121 IS
56	56	(B) funding provided under a pandemic- 1
57	57	era law. 2
58	58	(b) E
59	59	XTENSION OFSTATUTE OFLIMITATIONS.— 3
60	60	(1) C
61	61	RIMES.—No person shall be prosecuted, 4
62	62	tried, or punished for any pandemic-era program 5
63	63	violation that is a criminal offense unless the indict-6
64	64	ment is found or the information is instituted— 7
65	65	(A) notwithstanding section 3282(a) of 8
66	66	title 18, United States Code, within 10 years 9
67	67	after such offense shall have been committed; or 10
68	68	(B) within such longer period of years 11
69	69	after such offense shall have been committed as 12
70	70	is otherwise provided by law. 13
71	71	(2) T
72	72	ARIFF ACT OF 1930.—Notwithstanding sec-14
73	73	tion 621 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 15
74	74	1621), no civil action, suit, or proceeding for the for-16
75	75	feiture of property accruing under the customs laws 17
76	76	of the United States related to a pandemic-era pro-18
77	77	gram violation shall be instituted unless such civil 19
78	78	action, suit, or proceeding is commenced within 10 20
79	79	years after the time when the alleged pandemic-era 21
80	80	program violation was discovered, or within 3 years 22
81	81	after the time when the involvement of the property 23
82	82	in the alleged pandemic-era program violation was 24
83	83	discovered, whichever was later, except that the time 25
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86	86	•S 121 IS
87	87	of the absence from the United States of the person 1
88	88	whose property is subject to forfeiture, or of any 2
89	89	concealment or absence of the property, shall not be 3
90	90	reckoned within the 10-year period of limitation. 4
91	91	(3) F
92	92	ALSE CLAIMS.— 5
93	93	(A) I
94	94	N GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sec-6
95	95	tion 3731(b)(1) of title 31, United States Code, 7
96	96	a civil action under section 3730 of such title 8
97	97	alleging a violation of section 3729 of such title 9
98	98	that is a pandemic-era program violation may 10
99	99	not be brought more than 10 years after the 11
100	100	date on which the violation was committed. 12
101	101	(B) N
102	102	OTICE.—Notwithstanding section 13
103	103	3808 of title 31, United States Code, a notice 14
104	104	to the person alleged to be liable with respect 15
105	105	to a claim or statement that involves a pan-16
106	106	demic-era violation shall be mailed or delivered 17
107	107	in accordance with section 3803(d)(1) of such 18
108	108	title not later than 10 years after the date on 19
109	109	which the violation of section 3802 of such title 20
110	110	is committed. 21
111	111	Æ
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