The House passed a bill on March 11 to extend the statute of limitations when it comes to prosecuting unemployment fraud stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The vote tally was 295–127. Eighty-three Democrats joined all 212 Republicans in voting for the measure.
The bill, introduced by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), would allow for those who commit fraud under the CARES Act to be prosecuted within 10 years after the alleged offense.
The statute of limitations is currently five years.
“Failure to extend this statute of limitations would mean that the thousands of criminals and international criminal organizations that perpetrated the greatest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history will never be brought to justice,” said Smith in a Feb. 11 statement….