[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3934-H3936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FEDERAL FRAUD PREVENTION WORKFORCE TRAINING ACT
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 8428) to amend title 5, United States Code, to establish
a mandatory antifraud and improper payment training program for Federal
program administrators, to provide for the availability of such
training to State and local entities administering Federally funded
programs, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 8428
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 ``Federal Fraud Prevention
Workforce Training Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ANTIFRAUD AND IMPROPER PAYMENT
PREVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Chapter 41 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 4122. Federal Government-wide antifraud and improper
payment prevention training program
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Treasury and the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in
consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management, may establish and maintain a Federal Government-
wide program for antifraud and improper payment prevention
training (in this section referred to as the `Program').
``(b) Curriculum Requirements.--The Program shall include
comprehensive instruction on--
``(1) identifying and assessing fraud and improper payment
risks in Federal programs;
``(2) implementing resources, including the Government
Accountability Office's Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in
Federal Programs and the Office of Management and Budget's
Circular A-123 and its applicable appendices, the Department
of the Treasury's Anti-Fraud Playbook, the National Institute
of Standards and Technology Digital Identity Guidelines, and
data analytics tools in agency program administration;
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``(3) using systems and resources maintained by the
Department of the Treasury, including the Do Not Pay system
established under 3354 of title 31, and any other payment,
account, and payee validation programs (including government-
wide antifraud data sharing programs) and services to prevent
and address fraud and improper payments in Federal programs;
``(4) reporting mechanisms for suspected fraud, waste, and
abuse; and
``(5) the establishment and use of internal controls
designed to prevent improper payments and fraud in Federal
programs.
``(c) Mandatory Participation.--
``(1) In general.--The head of each agency shall ensure
that any employee serving as a program administrator, program
officer, financial administrator or manager, disbursement
certifying official under section 3528 of title 31, auditing
official, grants manager, or in a similar oversight capacity
of Federal programs or Federal financial assistance completes
the Program--
``(A) not later than 180 days after the date of appointment
to such position or, for any employee occupying such a
position on the effective date of this section pursuant to
section 2(c) of the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce
Training Act, within 180 days of such effective date; and
``(B) not less frequently than once every 2 years
thereafter.
``(2) Certification.--The Director of the Office of
Personnel Management shall provide a system for certifying
completion of the Program and maintaining records of such
certifications.
``(d) Availability to State, Local, or Tribal-Administered
Programs.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury may make
the Program available at no cost to employees or contractors
of a State (defined in this subsection as any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, a territory or
possession of the United States, or a federally recognized
Indian Tribe) or local government who are responsible for the
administration of Federally funded programs.
``(2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary of the Treasury
may provide technical assistance to such State or local
governments to integrate the Program's standards into the
respective administrative frameworks of such entities.
``(e) Reporting.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce
Training Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of the
Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget, in consultation with the Director of the Office of
Personnel Management, shall submit, to the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate, a report on the
implementation of the Program, including participation rates
and an assessment of the Program's effectiveness in reducing
fraud and improper payments.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following:
``4122. Federal Government-wide antifraud and improper payment
prevention training program.''.
(c) Effective Date.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), this
Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on
the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(2) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the
effective date in paragraph (1), the Secretary of the
Treasury may prescribe such regulations as necessary to
implement or administer the training program established
under section 4122 of title 5, United States Code, as added
by subsection (a) of this section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Gill) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Subramanyam) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
general leave
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
{time} 1520
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud
Prevention Workforce Training Act.
Every year, billions of taxpayer dollars are lost to increasingly
sophisticated fraud schemes. Unfortunately, the increase in
sophistication of fraudsters and criminals is outmatching the
capabilities of Federal agencies that work to safeguard taxpayer funds.
H.R. 8428 identifies this expanding challenge and helps bolster the
financial defenses of our Federal programs against malicious actors.
Specifically, it authorizes the U.S. Treasury to establish a
government-wide antifraud training program for agency officials, like
grant managers and auditors, so they are adequately trained on best
practices for preventing and addressing fraud in agency programs.
The bill also allows the U.S. Treasury to provide the training
programs to State and local agencies administering federally funded
programs at no cost.
This training will help ensure agency program management and State-
level officials are better equipped to confront the challenges
associated with fraud and improper payments by better utilizing the
tools and best practices already established.
Such tools include more fully implementing agency fraud prevention
frameworks in the program's administration and fully utilizing
Treasury's Do Not Pay System.
This is important and forward-looking legislation, and I applaud my
Oversight Committee colleagues Congressman Glenn Grothman and Raja
Krishnamoorthi on these programs.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan and forward-
looking bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention
Workforce Training Act.
This bill would establish programs to train Federal workers to
identify the risks of fraud and improper payments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Krishnamoorthi).
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Grothman for
being a partner on this bill.
H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act, is
legislation that would address a central concern of the American
people, which is fraud and waste in government.
Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that cannot be used to serve
the American people. Yet, over the last 20 years, at least $3 trillion
in improper payments have been made by the American Government.
Our bipartisan bill protects taxpayer dollars by creating a universal
Federal training program to fight fraud. By giving our government
employees the tools that they need to identify fraud and avoid spending
mistakes, we can stop waste before it happens.
Accountability to the American people is not optional. It is
required. I am proud to support policies that keep our Federal programs
strong and that use taxpayer dollars responsibly.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this key legislation,
and I thank the bill's sponsors, Chairman Comer, and Ranking Member
Garcia for bringing this bill to the floor today.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Federal
Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act. It is a bipartisan bill that
strengthens fraud prevention efforts across the Federal Government.
Americans work hard for their money. They pay their taxes, follow the
rules, and expect the Federal Government to treat every dollar with
care.
Unfortunately, fraud in Federal programs remains far too common, and
too often it could have been prevented. The problem is not only the bad
actors who try to steal from the taxpayer. Too many Federal employees
and program administrators are left without training, guidance, or
tools they need to identify risks before taxpayer dollars go out the
door.
The bill takes a commonsense step to fix that. The Federal Fraud
Prevention Workforce Training Act directs the Department of the
Treasury, in coordination with OMB and OPM, to establish a
standardized, government-wide fraud prevention training program. That
training would help Federal employees identify fraud risks, implement
proven antifraud practices, and make better use of existing tools,
including the Do Not Pay System.
It would also make these resources available to State and local
governments that administer Federal funds.
That last point is important. Many Federal programs are not
administered
[[Page H3936]]
only in Washington. They depend on State and local partners who are
often on the front lines and don't have any skin in game. If we want to
protect taxpayer dollars, those partners need access to the same
knowledge and best practices the Federal Government has.
Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that cannot help a veteran, a
senior, a small business, a family in need, a community that depends on
Federal assistance, or pay down our ridiculous Federal debt. It is also
a dollar added to the debt and a dollar taken from hardworking
Americans who expect better from their government.
We should not wait until fraud has already occurred to ask what went
wrong. We should train the Federal workforce to identify warning signs
early, use the tools already available, and stop fraud before taxpayer
dollars are wasted.
I thank Congressman Krishnamoorthi for leading the bipartisan effort
with me. I also thank Chairman Comer for his leadership on the
Oversight Committee and his work to hold the Federal Government
accountable.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time
for closing.
Preventing improper payments and fraud starts with a well-trained
workforce. I thank my colleagues for their work on this important
legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud
Prevention Workforce Training Act.
In order to meaningfully address the massive scale of fraud in
Federal programs, we need to implement a standardized, government-wide
training program for employees administering agency programs.
H.R. 8428 helps establish leading fraud prevention training practices
throughout the Federal Government so we can recognize and prevent fraud
before it happens.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gill) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 8428, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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