WASHINGTON— Today, the House passed H.R. 10326, the Preventing Rip-offs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds (PROOF) Act, legislation led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), to strengthen information sharing between state agencies and federal investigators pursuing fraud in taxpayer-supported programs.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Rep. Van Drew released the following statements after House passage:

“Fraudsters count on the government being too slow and fragmented to catch them,” Chairwoman McClain said. “Taxpayer dollars should never disappear into a black hole because one agency cannot get information from another. When someone steals from the American people, investigators should be able to follow the money and hold them accountable.”

“I am proud to sponsor the PROOF Act because these programs are there to help people who truly need them,” Congressman Van Drew said. “States should not be able to block important fraud investigations when federal taxpayer dollars are involved. We should all be able to agree that this money should be going to the families, seniors, and individuals it was meant to help. This bill makes it easier for investigators to get the information they need and make sure that happens.”

The PROOF Act requires states to provide relevant program information when the Attorney General makes a written request tied to a fraud investigation or prosecution. It limits access to authorized personnel, restricts the information to fraud-related law enforcement purposes, and requires the information to be erased when the investigation ends.

The Attorney General must also report annually to Congress on requests made under the law, the programs involved, and investigations and convictions resulting from the information obtained.