Dupage Policy Journal

Jeanne Ives, a former legislator and the founder of Breakthrough Ideas, expressed her belief that any official voting against the SBA Enforcement Extension Act should be "voted out of office." Ives made this statement in a post on social media platform X on April 2.

"Anybody voting against this bill should be voted out of office," said Ives. "Fraudsters of all types, but especially COVID fraudsters, must be relentlessly pursued and prosecuted."

The SBA Enforcement Extension Act, also known as S.1199, was sponsored by Congresswoman Jodi Ernst. The bill seeks to extend the statute of limitations for fraud under pandemic programs to 10 years after the date of violation or conspiracy. This includes restaurant revitalization grants under the American Rescue Plan Act. As of March 27, S.1199 has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Screenshot of Jeanne Ives' April 2 Post on X | X

Ives shared a link to a Breitbart report discussing the bill. According to the report, the legislation specifically targets relief programs such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. It also highlighted that similar legislation was passed in 2022, extending the statute of limitations for programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to 10 years.

In February, Ernst had another bill pass through the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, where she serves as chair. Known as the Complete COVID Collections Act, this bill aims to ensure government funds are fully recouped. Ernst said her pride in leading efforts to manage tax dollars prudently.

Jeanne Ives is noted for her six-year tenure representing Illinois House District 42, according to Ballotpedia. She ran for governor in 2018 and sought election to represent Illinois’ 6th Congressional District in 2020. Ives resides in Wheaton, Illinois.