[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9480 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9480

   To permit State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies that 
      receive eligible Federal grant funds to use such funds for 
   investigating senior financial fraud, pig butchering, and general 
 financial fraud, and to clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies 
may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use 
 of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2024

  Mr. Nunn of Iowa (for himself, Mr. Gottheimer, and Mr. Fitzgerald) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To permit State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies that 
      receive eligible Federal grant funds to use such funds for 
   investigating senior financial fraud, pig butchering, and general 
 financial fraud, and to clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies 
may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use 
 of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Empowering Law Enforcement to Combat 
Financial Fraud Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible federal grant funds.--The term ``eligible 
        Federal grant funds'' means funds received under the following:
                    (A) The Department of Justice Economic, High-
                Technology, White Collar, and Internet Crime Prevention 
                National Training and Technical Assistance Program.
                    (B) The Department of Justice Information Sharing 
                Training and Technical Assistance Program.
                    (C) The Department of Justice Internet of Things 
                National Training and Technical Assistance Program.
                    (D) Section 1401 of the Violence Against Women Act 
                Reauthorization Act of 2022 (34 U.S.C. 30107; relating 
                to Local Law Enforcement Grants for Enforcement of 
                Cybercrimes Against Individuals).
                    (E) Section 2220A of the Homeland Security Act of 
                2002 (6 U.S.C. 665g; relating to the State and Local 
                Cybersecurity Grant Program).
                    (F) The National Cybersecurity Preparedness 
                Consortium Act of 2021 (6 U.S.C. 652 note; relating to 
                the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium).
                    (G) The Department of Justice COPS Technology and 
                Equipment Program.
            (2) General financial fraud.--The term ``general financial 
        fraud'' means the intentional misrepresentation of information 
        or identity to deceive others, the unlawful use of a credit 
        card, debit card, or automated teller machine or the use of 
        electronic means to transmit deceptive information, in order to 
        obtain money or other things of value.
            (3) Pig butchering.--The term ``pig butchering'' means a 
        confidence and investment fraud in which the victim is 
        gradually lured into making increasing monetary contributions, 
        generally in the form of cryptocurrency, to a seemingly sound 
        investment before the scammer disappears with the contributed 
        monies.
            (4) Senior financial fraud.--The term ``senior financial 
        fraud'' means the illegal or improper use of an elderly or 
        adult with a disability's money, property, or other resources 
        for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain.
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the 
        United States.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL GRANTS USED FOR INVESTIGATING SENIOR FINANCIAL FRAUD, 
              PIG BUTCHERING, AND GENERAL FINANCIAL FRAUD.

    (a) In General.--State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies 
that receive eligible Federal grant funds may use such funds for 
investigating senior financial fraud, pig butchering, and general 
financial fraud, including by--
            (1) hiring and retaining analysts, agents, experts, and 
        other personnel;
            (2) providing training specific to complex financial 
        investigations, including training on--
                    (A) coordination and collaboration between State, 
                local, Tribal, and Federal law enforcement agencies;
                    (B) assisting victims of financial fraud and 
                exploitation;
                    (C) the use of blockchain intelligence tools and 
                related capabilities related to emerging technologies 
                identified in the February 2024 ``Critical and Emerging 
                Technology List Update'' of the Fast Track Action 
                Subcommittee on Critical and Emerging Technologies of 
                the National Science and Technology Council (the 
                ``Critical and Emerging Technology List''); and
                    (D) unique aspects of fraud investigations, 
                including transnational financial investigations and 
                emerging technologies identified in the Critical and 
                Emerging Technology List;
            (3) obtaining software and technical tools to conduct 
        financial fraud and exploitation investigations; and
            (4) encouraging improved data collection and reporting.
    (b) Report To Grant Provider.--Each law enforcement agency that 
makes use of eligible Federal grant funds for a purpose specified under 
subsection (a) shall, not later than 1 year after making such use of 
the funds, issue a report to the Federal agency that provided the 
eligible Federal grant funds, containing--
            (1) an explanation of the amount of funds so used, and the 
        specific purpose for which the funds were used;
            (2) statistics with respect to senior financial fraud, pig 
        butchering, and general financial fraud in the jurisdiction of 
        the law enforcement agency, along with an analysis of how the 
        use of the funds for a purpose specified under subsection (a) 
        affected such statistics; and
            (3) an assessment of the ability of the law enforcement 
        agency to deter senior financial fraud, pig butchering, and 
        general financial fraud.

SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Each Federal agency that provides eligible Federal grant funds that 
are used for a purpose specified under section 3(a) shall issue an 
annual report to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs of the Senate containing the information received from law 
enforcement agencies under section 3(b).

SEC. 5. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ASSISTING STATE, LOCAL, AND 
              TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FUSION CENTERS.

    Federal law enforcement agencies may assist State, local, and 
Tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of 
tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools.
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