Reported in House — H.R. 7677

Union Calendar No. 513

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 7677

[Report No. 119–593]

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.).