Beta

Proposal:CORE Act

This proposal is archived and closed to further debate. It was introduced in the 116th Congress, which has concluded, and the bill was not enacted into law.
Geographic Scope
National

Description

Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics Act of 2020 or the CORE Act

This bill establishes requirements for oversight, accountability, and transparency in the disbursement and supervision of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funds.

Among other things, the bill

  • prohibits conflicts of interest in the selection or hiring of contractors or advisors and in the distribution of relief grants and loans;
  • allows inspectors general to be fired only for specified reasons;
  • grants the Congressional Oversight Commission, established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), subpoena authority for testimony and documents and expands its jurisdiction to include all COVID-19 relief funding, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of the Small Business Administration (SBA);
  • requires the Department of the Treasury to submit a weekly list of any instances in which the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Relief or the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee believe the executive branch has unreasonably denied them information;
  • requires lobbyists to make monthly disclosures regarding all lobbying related to COVID-19 relief spending or lending;
  • establishes whistle-blower protections for government contractors and private sector workers who may witness waste, fraud, or abuse or be victims of misconduct;
  • requires the SBA to publicly disclose information about PPP lenders and recipients, including loan amounts; and
  • allows any individual harmed by a company's misuse of industry stabilization funds to seek recourse through the courts.

Bill Title

CORE Act

Linked Goals

Steps

  • 2020-06-01: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  • 2020-06-01: Introduced in Senate

Projected Outcome

A more informed proposal or public response aligned with the Promote General Welfare goal.