SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act
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The bill would extend the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud-related criminal and civil cases involving the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and Restaurant Revitalization Fund, two pandemic-era relief programs for entertainment venues and restaurants.
It would give federal prosecutors and civil enforcers a longer window to pursue fraud tied to those specific COVID-19 relief programs, which have been the subject of ongoing Small Business Administration fraud investigations.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the laws creating the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to add a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions or civil enforcement actions involving specified federal fraud, false statement, identity theft, money laundering, and false claims offenses committed in connection with those grants.
It would apply to violations or conspiracies to violate a specific list of federal criminal and civil statutes (including fraud, conspiracy, false statements, and money laundering provisions of Title 18 and false claims provisions of Title 31), only as they relate to these two named pandemic relief programs. It does not change statutes of limitations for any other federal program or general fraud statute.
Key provisions
- 1Would set a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions involving fraud on Shuttered Venue Operators Grants
- 2Would set a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions involving fraud on Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants
Who would be affected
Recipients of Shuttered Venue Operators Grants or Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants suspected of fraud, federal prosecutors and civil enforcement attorneys pursuing such cases, and the Small Business Administration, which administered both pandemic relief programs.
Why it matters
Fraud investigations into pandemic relief programs often take years to uncover and build, and ordinary statutes of limitations can expire before cases are filed. Extending the window to 10 years would let investigators and prosecutors pursue more fraud cases tied to these two programs that might otherwise be time-barred.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Section 324 of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009a) - Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program (Sec. 2(a))
Adds a new subsection setting a 10-year statute of limitations for specified fraud offenses tied to shuttered venue grants
Amends Section 5003 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9009c) - Restaurant Revitalization Fund (Sec. 2(b))
Adds a new subsection setting a 10-year statute of limitations for specified fraud offenses tied to restaurant revitalization grants
Agencies directed to act
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 281.
Official CRS summary
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This bill extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud-based criminal and civil offenses with respect to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund COVID-19 relief programs.
Legislative subjects
Administrative law and regulatory procedures; Commerce; Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation; Fraud offenses and financial crimes; Small Business Administration
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-226