Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4169
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-06-26: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-09T20:18:15Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends title 18 of the United States Code to create a new federal criminal offense aimed at preventing fraud involving veterans' benefits.
Key Provisions
- Adds a new section 1352 to chapter 63, making it a federal crime for anyone to knowingly carry out or attempt a scheme to defraud an individual of veterans' benefits or to obtain those benefits for that individual.
- Establishes penalties of a fine, imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.
- Defines "veteran" using the meaning in section 101 of title 38 and "veterans' benefits" as any federal benefit provided to a veteran or their dependent or survivor.
- Includes a clerical update to the table of sections for chapter 63.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a specific new federal crime focused on fraud schemes targeting veterans' benefits, providing an explicit statutory tool beyond general fraud statutes.
Potential Impacts
- Strengthens federal enforcement options to protect veterans and their families from benefit-related fraud.
- May increase federal prosecution resources for these cases, affecting the Department of Justice and related agencies.
- No direct effects on international relations are addressed in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Veterans, their dependents, and survivors who receive federal benefits.
- Federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors responsible for investigating and charging these offenses.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs, which administers the benefits involved.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Expands federal criminal law by creating a targeted offense for benefit fraud schemes, relying on Congress's authority to regulate federal programs.
- The bill contains no explicit constitutional challenges or political statements beyond its stated goal of protecting veterans.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
Cosponsors (19)
Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5], Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2], Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large], Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4], Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9], Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8], Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4], Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1], Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1], Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2], Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
Recent Actions
- 2025-06-26: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2025-06-26: Introduced in House
- 2025-06-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act of 2025 — issued 2025-06-26 — PDF (2 pages)