Closing the Provider Fraud Gap Act

Burgess Owens

Republican · UT · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Julia Letlow (R-LA-5)· 2026-03-04

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 513.

2026-04-06

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would strengthen enforcement against healthcare providers who commit fraud—such as billing for services they didn't provide or overcharging insurance programs—by giving federal authorities better tools to investigate and prosecute these cases. The measure aims to protect families by reducing healthcare fraud that drives up insurance costs and wastes taxpayer money spent on government health programs like Medicare and Medicaid. It targets dishonest medical providers while leaving legitimate healthcare businesses unaffected.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7677 Reported in House (RH)] <DOC> Union Calendar No. 513 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7677 [Report No. 119-593] To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study regarding fraud prevention measures in certain Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 25, 2026 Mr. Owens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce April 6, 2026 Additional sponsor: Ms. Letlow April 6, 2026 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 25, 2026] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study regarding fraud prevention measures in certain Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs, 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 ``Closing the Provider Fraud Gap Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. GAO STUDY AND REPORT ON PROVIDER-RELATED FRAUD. (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study regarding fraud prevention measures in Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs that shall include an analysis of-- (1) the effectiveness of procedures and measures to prevent fraud carried out by providers of services under such programs; (2) whether the data the Federal Government receives in connection with such programs (including through audits and reporting requirements) is-- (A) sufficient to successfully identify fraud carried out under such programs; and (B) used effectively by the Federal Government to identify potential fraud carried out under such programs; and (3) with respect to the Child Care and Development Block Grant program established under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.)-- (A) the program integrity results for States that have delegated responsibilities related to program management and administration to counties, local municipalities, or other entities; and (B) whether any corrective action plans have been implemented by States to improve program integrity results, including any measurable outcomes from implementing such a corrective action plan. (b) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report containing-- (1) the results of the study conducted under subsection (a); and (2) any regulatory or legislative recommendations to improve fraud prevention measures in Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs. (c) Federal Early Childhood Education, Child Care, and Child Nutrition Programs Defined.--For the purposes of this section, the term ``Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs'' includes-- (1) Head Start programs (including Early Head Start programs) carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); (2) the Child and Adult Care Food Program under section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766); and (3) the Child Care and Development Block Grant program established under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.).…

Union Calendar No. 513 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7677 [Report No. 119-593] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study regarding fraud prevention measures in certain Federal early childhood education, child care, and child nutrition programs, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ April 6, 2026 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

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