To amend title III of the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to require identity verification procedures and data matching, to prevent unemployment fraud, and to strengthen work search requirements, and for other purposes.

House Bill

H.R. 7847

119th Congress

To amend title III of the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to require identity verification procedures and data matching, to prevent unemployment fraud, and to strengthen work search requirements, and for other purposes.

In Committee

Introduced:Mar 5, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Lloyd Smucker

R - PA

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill aims to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud by requiring stricter identity verification when people apply for benefits and strengthening requirements that claimants actively search for work. It would implement new data-matching systems to catch fraudulent claims and ensure that unemployment benefits only go to eligible individuals who are genuinely seeking employment.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Introduced3/5/2026

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

To amend title III of the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to require identity verification procedures and data matching, to prevent unemployment fraud, and to strengthen work search requirements, and for other purposes.

This bill aims to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud by requiring stricter identity verification when people apply for benefits and strengthening requirements that claimants actively search for work. It would implement new data-matching systems to catc

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

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0 predictions

This bill aims to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud by requiring stricter identity verification when people apply for benefits and strengthening requirements that claimants actively search for work. It would implement new data-matching systems to catch fraudulent claims and ensure that unemployment benefits only go to eligible individuals who are genuinely seeking employment.

Bill Number: 7847
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: To amend title III of the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to require identity verification procedures and data matching, to prevent unemployment fraud, and to strengthen work search requirements, and for other purposes.
Bill Number: 7847
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Summary: This bill aims to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud by requiring stricter identity verification when people apply for benefits and strengthening requirements that claimants actively search for work. It would implement new data-matching systems to catch fraudulent claims and ensure that unem

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill aims to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud by requiring stricter identity verification when people apply for benefits and strengthening requirements that claimants actively search for work. It would implement new data-matching systems to catch fraudulent claims and ensure that unemployment benefits only go to eligible individuals who are genuinely seeking employment.

Last updated: 3/6/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Mandates identity verification procedures for all unemployment benefit applicants to prevent fraudsters from stealing benefits using fake or stolen identities
Establishes data-matching systems between state unemployment agencies and federal databases to flag suspicious claims before payments are made
Strengthens work search requirements, meaning unemployed workers would need to demonstrate more active job-seeking efforts to continue receiving benefits
Responds to concerns about widespread unemployment fraud during recent crises, when billions of dollars were lost to criminal schemes
Could make the application process more rigorous and potentially delay legitimate claims while attempting to stop fraudulent ones

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would directly affect anyone applying for unemployment benefits, requiring them to go through enhanced identity checks and potentially more documentation. Legitimate unemployed workers may experience longer wait times for benefits while new verification systems are implemented, but the changes aim to protect the unemployment insurance system from the massive fraud that has depleted state funds. State workforce agencies would need to upgrade their technology and processes to comply with the new federal requirements.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

7847, 119th Congress (2026). "To amend title III of the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act to require identity verification procedures and data matching, to prevent unemployment fraud, and to strengthen work search requirements, and for other purposes.". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-7847

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