HR7412-119

What This Bill Does

The Put America on Commission Act of 2026 creates a new Office of Whistleblower Awards inside the Small Business Administration's Office of Performance, Planning, and the Chief Financial Officer. The office must work with the SBA Inspector General to decide whether whistleblower submissions are original information about financial misconduct or fraudulent misrepresentation by recipients of SBA financial assistance. When original information helps produce a final conviction, settlement, or plea agreement in a covered COVID loan action, the bill pays the whistleblower from a new Treasury Whistleblower Award Fund: 10 percent of deposited recoveries when the wrongdoer is a U.S. national or U.S. entity and 15 percent when the wrongdoer is a foreign national or foreign entity. The bill also creates a 30 percent civil monetary penalty tied to the principal amount of the COVID loans, deposits recoveries into the fund, protects whistleblowers from retaliation, allows certain appeals to federal courts of appeals, requires annual reports to Congress, and orders SBA rules within six months with an earlier three-month rule on Inspector General determinations.

Who Benefits and How

COVID loan fraud whistleblowers benefit directly because they can receive a statutory share of qualifying recoveries instead of relying on discretionary treatment. Whistleblowers facing retaliation benefit from a ban on discrimination or other prejudicial action and access to relief procedures modeled on federal anti-retaliation law. Federal taxpayers benefit when original information helps recover fraudulently obtained COVID loan funds, civil monetary penalties are collected, and unused fund balances return to the Treasury. The SBA Inspector General benefits from a formal intake and tracking channel for original information. SBA fraud-enforcement staff benefit from clearer rules for tying information to convictions, settlements, and plea agreements.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The SBA Office of Whistleblower Awards must administer intake, original-information determinations, status updates, award calculations, payments, appeals, reports, and fund operations. The SBA Administrator must assess civil monetary penalties, issue rules, compromise or recover penalties, and deposit remaining fund balances. The SBA Inspector General must coordinate on original-information determinations and indicate whether information was the basis for COVID loan actions. COVID loan fraud defendants bear new financial exposure through the 30 percent civil monetary penalty and fund deposits. Whistleblowers who planned or initiated misconduct can have awards reduced, denied, or clawed back if later convicted.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the SBA Office of Whistleblower Awards within the Office of Performance, Planning, and the Chief Financial Officer.
• Authorizes whistleblower awards of 10 percent for U.S. wrongdoer recoveries and 15 percent for foreign wrongdoer recoveries tied to COVID loan actions.
• Creates the Treasury Whistleblower Award Fund and makes it available without further appropriation for awards and office expenses.
• Imposes a 30 percent civil monetary penalty on persons finally convicted of, or settling, covered COVID loan fraud actions.
• Protects whistleblowers from retaliation and allows appeals of most office determinations to federal courts of appeals.
• Requires annual congressional reports on submissions, award amounts, and recommended legislative or administrative changes.
• Directs SBA rulemaking within six months and Inspector General basis-determination rules within three months.