S-4782-119
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Sponsored by Margaret Hassan (D-NH)
What it does
This bill would direct the Office of Management and Budget to establish a government-wide priority goal to reduce scams, create an interagency Scams Steering Committee drawn from 12+ federal agencies, and develop a Federal Scams Action Plan within 180 days. It would also require the creation of a centralized public website at ReportScams.gov within one year, providing scam prevention resources, victim assistance, and a single reporting portal that routes reports to relevant federal and state law enforcement. The bill would authorize up to $10 million in interagency fund transfers per fiscal year to support implementation and allow expedited hiring of specialists for up to five years.
Who benefits
All U.S. residents who are potential or actual scam victims, particularly older adults who are disproportionately targeted by fraud. Scam victims who currently must navigate multiple disconnected reporting systems (FTC, FBI IC3, CFPB, etc.) would benefit from a single portal. State and local law enforcement agencies that would receive automatically routed reports. Consumer advocacy organizations. Federal agencies that would gain shared data and analytical tools. Cybersecurity and fraud-detection specialists who may be hired under the expedited authority.
Who is hurt
Federal agencies that must dedicate staff and resources to Steering Committee participation and reporting requirements. Taxpayers who bear the cost of website development, staffing, and ongoing operations. Existing scam-reporting platforms (such as the FTC's ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3) may face redundancy or consolidation pressure. State agencies that receive routed reports may face increased workload without corresponding funding. Private-sector entities whose contact information is listed on the site without their consent could face increased unsolicited public inquiries.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that scams cost Americans tens of billions of dollars annually — the FTC reported consumers lost over $10 billion to fraud in 2023 alone — yet the federal response is fragmented across more than a dozen agencies with no unified reporting system or shared data standards. They contend that a single, recognizable website and coordinated interagency action plan would dramatically lower the barrier for victims to report scams and access help, while giving law enforcement the aggregated data needed to identify and prosecute large-scale fraud operations more effectively.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the federal government already operates multiple scam-reporting portals — including the FTC's ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the FBI's IC3, and the CFPB's complaint database — and that adding another layer of bureaucracy through a new Steering Committee, Action Plan, and website risks duplicating existing infrastructure without meaningfully improving outcomes. They contend that the bill's $10 million interagency transfer authority and open-ended hiring provisions could grow administrative overhead while diverting resources from agencies already conducting active fraud investigations and enforcement.
Constitutional context
No significant constitutional tension is present. Congress has broad authority to appropriate funds, organize executive branch agencies, and direct information-sharing under the Necessary and Proper Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 18). The bill does not delegate broad rulemaking authority to agencies in a way that would implicate the major questions doctrine under West Virginia v. EPA (2022) or post-Chevron scrutiny under Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), as it primarily directs coordination and public information activities rather than substantive regulatory action.
Checks and balances
The executive branch — specifically OMB and the Steering Committee agencies — gains new coordination and limited fund-transfer authority, but Congress retains oversight through mandatory quarterly reports, annual reports, GAO reviews every two years, and required notification to Appropriations committees within 30 days of any fund transfer.
Historical precedent
The federal government created a similar centralized model with AnnualCreditReport.com and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint portal, though no directly analogous statute has previously unified scam reporting across this many agencies under a single OMB-led priority goal structure.