Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act

Senate Bill

S. 121

119th Congress

Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 24, 2025

Primary Sponsor

James Lankford

R - OK

Cosponsors

14

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Health

Summary

This bill extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud in COVID-19 relief programs from five years to ten years. This matches the timeframe already in place for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan fraud, allowing more time to pursue fraudulent claims.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud in COVID-19 relief programs from five years to ten years. This matches the timeframe already in place for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan fraud, allowing more time to pursue fraudulent claims.

Last updated: 1/6/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds ActThis bill extends the statute of limitations (i.e., time limit for bringing a legal action) to 10 years for criminal and civil violations involving specified COVID-19 pandemic relief programs, such as violations involving fraudulent activity. Under current law, the statute of limitations is generally five years for violations concerning these pandemic-era programs. The Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program currently have 10-year statutes of limitations relating to program fraud.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Extends statute of limitations for COVID relief fraud to 10 years
Covers both criminal and civil violations
Matches existing PPP and EIDL fraud timelines
Applies to specified pandemic relief programs
Allows more time for fraud prosecution and recovery

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Federal prosecutors and investigators would have more time to pursue COVID-19 relief fraud cases. This helps recover fraudulently obtained pandemic funds and ensures perpetrators face consequences even years after the fraud occurred.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Health

Related Subjects

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Civil actions and liability

Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Fraud offenses and financial crimes

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

121, 119th Congress (2025). "Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-121