This bill, known as the "FinCEN Oversight and Accountability Act of 2025," seeks to enhance congressional oversight and public transparency regarding the operations of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). It mandates that the Secretary of the Treasury keep relevant congressional committees fully informed about FinCEN's activities, including any significant anticipated actions and reports of unlawful activity with corrective measures. A key provision requires the Treasury Secretary to promptly provide Congress with all controlling documents that delegate authority to FinCEN for implementing its functions, including those related to the Bank Secrecy Act. These documents, along with any subsequent changes, must also be made available to the public, with exceptions for information protected under FOIA. The bill also extends the required retention period for beneficial ownership information collected by FinCEN from 5 years to 10 years, aiming to improve data longevity for financial crime investigations. Furthermore, the legislation amends existing law to require FinCEN to hold an annual small business working group . This group is intended to share information on the effectiveness of beneficial ownership data, foster coordination between FinCEN and the small business community, and offer guidance to small businesses regarding their beneficial ownership reporting obligations.
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Finance and Financial Sector
Congressional-executive branch relationsCongressional oversightFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigations
FinCEN Oversight and Accountability Act of 2025
USA119th CongressHR-147| House
| Updated: 1/3/2025
This bill, known as the "FinCEN Oversight and Accountability Act of 2025," seeks to enhance congressional oversight and public transparency regarding the operations of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). It mandates that the Secretary of the Treasury keep relevant congressional committees fully informed about FinCEN's activities, including any significant anticipated actions and reports of unlawful activity with corrective measures. A key provision requires the Treasury Secretary to promptly provide Congress with all controlling documents that delegate authority to FinCEN for implementing its functions, including those related to the Bank Secrecy Act. These documents, along with any subsequent changes, must also be made available to the public, with exceptions for information protected under FOIA. The bill also extends the required retention period for beneficial ownership information collected by FinCEN from 5 years to 10 years, aiming to improve data longevity for financial crime investigations. Furthermore, the legislation amends existing law to require FinCEN to hold an annual small business working group . This group is intended to share information on the effectiveness of beneficial ownership data, foster coordination between FinCEN and the small business community, and offer guidance to small businesses regarding their beneficial ownership reporting obligations.
Congressional-executive branch relationsCongressional oversightFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigations