CONGRESSWOMAN ANGIE CRAIG CALLS ON ADMINISTRATION TO SAFEGUARD TAXPAYER DOLLARS BY EXPEDITING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HER PAYCHECK INTEGRITY INFORMATION ACT

Today, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig released a letter calling on the Administration to expedite the implementation of her legislation, The Payment Integrity Information Act, signed into law on March 2, 2020. After receiving reports that constituents in the Second Congressional District were receiving economic stimulus checks for their dead relatives while it took far too long for other folks to get necessary relief, Rep. Craig is working to put a stop to the chaotic distribution.

You can watch the full press conference here.

"Improper payments are not new, but the swift implementation of the Payment Integrity Information Act will help put a stop to overpayments, underpayments and payments made to ineligible recipients," said Rep. Craig. "The devastating impacts of COVID-19 have been felt by families across Minnesota, the very least we can do is make sure the trillions of dollars intended to help families get to them swiftly and safely. That's why the Payment Integrity Information Act must be implemented swiftly to prevent future distribution chaos and the unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars."

You can read Rep. Craig's letter to the Administration asking to expedite the implementation of the Payment Integrity Information Act

You can read Rep. Craig's letter to the Treasury Department, returning her son's improper payment here.

Specifically, the Payment Integrity Information Act will save billions of taxpayer dollars by:

• Requiring agencies to undertake additional efforts and develop plans to prevent improper payments before they happen.
• Improving the way agencies identify programs with the highest risk of improper payments.
• Requiring the Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) to issue guidance to improve annual reporting on agencies' compliance with improper payment statutes.
• Creating a working group that will enable federal agencies to collaborate with each other and non-federal, such as state governments, to develop strategies for addressing key drivers of improper payments, such as fraud and eligibility determinations in state-managed federal benefits programs.

Rep. Angie Craig was the first new member of the 116th Congress from Minnesota to get a bipartisan bill signed into law by the President.