Preventing Improper Payments Act introduced by Moore

U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) on Feb. 8 sponsored a bipartisan bill to rein in the rate of improper payments made by the federal government, including those made via COVID-19 pandemic relief programs.

The congressman introduced the Preventing Improper Payments Act, H.R. 877, with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to prevent the waste, fraud, and abuse of federal funds by creating safeguards to reduce improper payments for new federal spending programs, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Moore’s staff.

“As our national debt and deficit crisis worsen, it is imperative that we ensure federal agencies spend each dollar of taxpayer funds toward its intended purpose,” Rep. Moore said on Wednesday. “Congress owes it to the American people to ensure their hard-earned dollars are stewarded responsibly, and I am proud to continue this effort with Congresswoman Spanberger in the 118th Congress.”

The legislation would designate all new federal programs making more than $100 million in payments in any one fiscal year as “susceptible to significant improper payments” for the first three years of operation, and would subject these programs to more timely improper payment reporting requirements, the summary says.

Additionally, H.R. 877 would reinstate the requirement that federal agencies report on their anti-fraud controls and fraud-risk management efforts in their annual financial reports to Congress. The bill is now under consideration by the U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

“It is essential that federal assistance ends up where it is intended,” said Rep. Spanberger. “Improper payments of federal funds have long hurt the Americans that federal programs are intended to assist. We must work to better protect taxpayer dollars and the integrity of these programs.”

H.R. 877 has garnered support from the Utah Taxpayers Association, the National Taxpayers Union, the Project On Government Oversight, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, the R Street Institute, and Americans for Prosperity.