Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act

Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act

This bill (1) assigns financial integrity, improper payment prevention, and spending transparency functions to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) within the Department of the Treasury; (2) establishes an Office of the Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery (OIGFAR) within Treasury; and (3) requires Treasury to enter into data sharing agreements with other federal agencies and allowable private entities to prevent fraud and improper payments.

Functions assigned to BFS by the bill include

• administering the Do Not Pay system (which provides federal agencies and federally funded state-administered programs the ability to verify recipient identity and eligibility before making an award or issuing a payment);
• maintaining a voluntary governmentwide program to provide data sharing and analysis to federal agencies and to state, local, or tribal governments responsible for administering a federally funded program in order to detect fraud and prevent improper payments that result in financial loss; and
• supporting OIGFAR by providing access to information technology and data.

The duties of OIGFAR include auditing and investigating the use of certain federal funds, such as

• funds, loans, and tax credits made available by various coronavirus response laws;
• any federal award of $50,000 or more; and
• emergency spending related to disaster relief or economic recovery.

OIGFAR must ensure the expeditious reporting of suspected violations of federal criminal law to the Department of Justice. OIGFAR is authorized to provide investigative support to prosecutive and enforcement authorities to protect program integrity and prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov