S2664-118

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Strengthening Taxpayer Recoveries Act.

2. Definitions In this Act: The terms Administration and Administrator mean the Small Business Administration and the Administrator thereof, respectively. The term covered funds means amounts made available for COVID–19 relief under— the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–123; 134 Stat 146); the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 116–127; 134 Stat. 178); the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 281); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (Public Law 116–139; 134 Stat. 620); division M or N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 1909); or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2; 135 Stat. 4). The term covered loan means— a loan guaranteed under paragraph (36) or (37) of section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)); and a loan made under section 7(b)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)(2)) related to COVID–19. The term covered program means— loans made under paragraph (36) or (37) of section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)); economic injury disaster loans made under section 7(b)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)(2)) related to COVID–19; advances provided pursuant to section 1110 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9009), section 331 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009b), or section 5002(b) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009 note); restaurant revitalization grants made under section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009c); and grants for shuttered venue operators made under section 324 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009a). The term improper payment has the meaning given the term in section 3351 of title 31, United States Code.

3. Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Section 4018 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9053) is amended— in subsection (c)(1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)— by inserting or the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (referred to in this section as the Administrator) after the Secretary of the Treasury; by inserting or the Administrator after established by the Secretary; by inserting or any assistance provided under any covered program after under this Act; each place that term appears; and by inserting or the Administrator after management by the Secretary; in subsection (h), by striking the date 5 years after March 27, 2020 and inserting September 30, 2030; and by adding at the end the following: In carrying out the duties, responsibilities, and authorities of the Special Inspector General under this section, the Special Inspector General shall coordinate with, and receive the cooperation of, the Administrator and the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. The Administrator shall provide data and information related to covered programs to the Special Inspector General in the same manner as the Administrator provides that data and information to the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. In this section, the term covered program has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Strengthening Taxpayer Recoveries Act. Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary of the Treasury shall credit to the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery as offsetting collections any amounts recovered by the Federal Government that are attributable to an audit or investigation by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. Amounts credited under subparagraph (A) shall be available to the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, without further appropriation, for necessary expenses in carrying out section 4018 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9053). Amounts credited under subparagraph (A) shall remain available until September 30, 2030. The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives an annual report on the amounts recovered by the Federal Government that are attributable to an audit or investigation by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery— that are relating to a covered program; and that are relating to a program that is not a covered program. (k)Coordination and provision of information(1)CoordinationIn carrying out the duties, responsibilities, and authorities of the Special Inspector General under this section, the Special Inspector General shall coordinate with, and receive the cooperation of, the Administrator and the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration. (2)InformationThe Administrator shall provide data and information related to covered programs to the Special Inspector General in the same manner as the Administrator provides that data and information to the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration.(l)Covered programIn this section, the term covered program has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Strengthening Taxpayer Recoveries Act..

4. Fraud enforcement harmonization Section 4003 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9042) is amended by adding at the end the following: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any loan, loan guarantee, or other investment made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed. Section 324 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009a) is amended by adding at the end the following: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any grant made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed. Section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009c) is amended by adding at the end the following: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any grant made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed. (i)Fraud enforcement harmonizationNotwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any loan, loan guarantee, or other investment made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed.. (g)Fraud enforcement harmonizationNotwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any grant made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed.. (d)Fraud enforcement harmonizationNotwithstanding any other provision of law, any criminal charge or civil enforcement action alleging that a business, State, or municipality engaged in fraud or similarly related crime with respect to any grant made under this section shall be filed not later than 10 years after the offense was committed..

6. Department of Justice COVID–19 program fraud report Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every month thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on activities related to covered programs, which shall include— a summary of the information contained in the report, specifically the total number of prosecutions, the total dollar amount recovered by prosecutions, the total number of referrals and source of such referrals, and the total number of declined cases and reasons for declining; with respect to each covered program— the number and disposition of each prosecution; the dollar amount recovered from prosecutions; the number of declined cases and the reasons for declining; the number of referrals— from the Department of Justice; and from sources other than the Department of Justice, such as other inspectors general; and the disposition of each referral described in subparagraph (D), specifically whether the referral resulted in prosecution or declination; and any additional matters as the Attorney General determines appropriate.

7. Recoveries transparency Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee established under section 15010 of division B of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 533) shall establish and maintain on the website of the Committee real-time data relating to covered funds recovered by the Federal Government, which shall be broken out by type of covered funds and dollar amount of covered funds recovered by the Federal Government.