Bill Text: AZ HB2624 | 2011 | Fiftieth Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Public benefits; reporting fraud
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-09 - Referred to House HHS Committee [HB2624 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2011-HB2624-Introduced.html
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REFERENCE TITLE: public benefits; reporting fraud |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fiftieth Legislature First Regular Session 2011
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HB 2624 |
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Introduced by Representative Williams
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AN ACT
Amending title 1, chapter 5, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 2; relating to reporting fraud.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 1, chapter 5, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 2, to read:
ARTICLE 2. FRAUD REPORTS
1-521. Public programs; reporting fraud; definition
A. Any person with actual and specific knowledge of a person that may be receiving a benefit under a state or federal public program may submit a written report of any case of suspected fraud or may call the public programs fraud hotline established in the state attorney general's office. The person making the report under this section may not have obtained the information from a publicly disclosed source such as a newspaper, television, radio, court record or freedom of information act request.
B. If a written report is submitted to a state agency pursuant to subsection A, the director of the state agency shall review the report and conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if there is a sufficient basis to warrant a full investigation. If the findings of a preliminary investigation give the director reason to believe that an incident of fraud has occurred, the director shall refer the matter to the attorney general.
C. A person who has committed fraud under a state or federal public program may be liable for up to three times the actual amount that was fraudulently taken by the person. Any penalties paid by the person who committed fraud shall first be repaid to the state or federal public program in the amount paid by the program and the remaining monies shall be split equally between the attorney general's office and the person who made the initial report under subsection A.
D. Any person making a complaint or furnishing a report or information in good faith pursuant to this section is immune from any civil liability by reason of that action unless that person has been charged with or is suspected of the fraud reported.
E. For the purposes of this section, "state or federal public program":
1. means the supplemental nutrition assistance program, temporary assistance for needy families, the Arizona special supplemental food program for women, infants and children, the Arizona health care cost containment system, the children's health insurance program and the Arizona long‑term care system.
2. Includes any other state or federal program for which eligibility is determined based on an individual's or family's income or resources.
