PROOF Act Wins Final House Vote, Would Require States to Provide Fraud-Related Information to DOJ

Why it matters

The House recorded a final-passage vote on September 10 on the Preventing Rip-offs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act, or the PROOF Act, and the roll-call record lists the bill as passed. The measure would require states to provide the Department of Justice with information requested for investigations or prosecutions of alleged fraud involving Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), certain federal coronavirus-response payments and grants, and other state-funded programs identified as vulnerable to fraud. Federal agencies could use the information only for fraud-related law-enforcement purposes, while the bill would prohibit disclosure for unrelated administrative or commercial purposes. The Department of Justice would report annually to Congress on the programs involved, investigations launched and convictions secured using the information.

The big picture

The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, Republican of New Jersey, is listed as its sponsor, and the supplied bill record lists no cosponsors.

The STOP FRAUD in Medicaid Act, S. 4176, would direct state Medicaid fraud-control units to investigate and prosecute cases involving beneficiaries who fraudulently apply for or receive Medicaid benefits, expanding their authority beyond provider fraud. The SNAP Fraud Accountability Act, H.R. 10219, would lower the criminal-penalty threshold for fraudulent SNAP-benefit violations from $5,000 to $1,000. The PIIA Reform Act, H.R. 1533, would establish a federal Overpayment Czar, require agencies to identify programs vulnerable to improper payments and impose additional payment-accuracy requirements.