Child Care Payment Integrity and Fraud Accountability Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 7720
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Families
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-06: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 506.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-11T23:41:32Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to improve tracking of improper payments, including those that are fraudulent, in the federal child care assistance program.
Key Provisions
- Requires States to treat fraudulent payments as a category of overpayments under the existing law.
- Mandates that each State submit an annual report to the Secretary (of Health and Human Services) detailing the dollar amount and percentage of improper payments.
- The report must break down payments into standardized categories, such as suspected and verified fraudulent payments, non-fraudulent overpayments, underpayments, and technically improper payments caused by system errors.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The amendment expands the definition of overpayments to explicitly include fraudulent payments and adds a new annual reporting requirement that did not previously exist in Section 658J(b) of the Act.
Potential Impacts
- States will face new administrative duties to identify, categorize, and report on payment errors.
- Federal oversight may increase through the required reports submitted to the Secretary.
- The changes could lead to improved detection of fraud in child care funding, potentially affecting program integrity for providers and families.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State agencies that administer child care block grant funds.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (through the Secretary).
- Child care providers and families receiving assistance under the program.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill focuses on accountability measures within an existing federal grant program and does not alter eligibility rules, funding levels, or State authority in a manner that raises apparent constitutional concerns.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Messmer, Mark B. [R-IN-8]
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-06: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 506.
- 2026-04-06: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-586.
- 2026-04-06: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-586.
- 2026-03-05: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 19 - 15.
- 2026-03-05: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2026-02-26: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2026-02-26: Introduced in House
- 2026-02-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Child Care Payment Integrity and Fraud Accountability Act — issued 2026-02-26 — PDF (2 pages)
- Child Care Payment Integrity and Fraud Accountability Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-06 — PDF (4 pages)