S. 3855 116th Congress Senate

CORE Act

Official title: A bill to ensure ethical and accountable use of COVID-19 relief funds, to prevent corruption and bias in the disbursement and supervision of those funds, and for other purposes.

Introduced: June 1, 2020 Introduced by: Elizabeth Warren Democratic · Massachusetts See on congress.gov

Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdvisory bodiesAfghanistanAlternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration

More subjectsShow fewer subjects

Architect of the CapitolAsiaBanking and financial institutions regulationBusiness expensesCardiovascular and respiratory healthCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA)Civil actions and liabilityCongressional agenciesCongressional operations and organizationCongressional oversightCriminal investigation, prosecution, interrogationDepartment of LaborEmergency medical services and trauma careEmployment discrimination and employee rightsEvidence and witnessesExecutive Office of the PresidentFamily relationshipsFederal officialsFinancial crises and stabilizationFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment Accountability Office (GAO)Government Publishing Office (GPO)Government employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesGovernment lending and loan guaranteesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth programs administration and fundingInfectious and parasitic diseasesIntelligence activities, surveillance, classified informationJudicial review and appealsLaw enforcement officersLibrary of CongressLicensing and registrationsOffice of Government EthicsPersonnel recordsPresidents and presidential powers, Vice PresidentsPublic contracts and procurementPublic participation and lobbyingReconstruction and stabilizationRight of privacySmall businessTax administration and collection, taxpayersU.S. CapitolWages and earningsWorker safety and health

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Jun 1, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Jun 1, 2020

Introduced in Senate

Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

Latest action June 1, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.