Taxpayer Knowledge of IRS Investigations Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1026, as has been described, this actually had come before Congress before. Dr. Boustany and Mr. Roskam have presented this. This is about taxpayer knowledge of IRS investigations.

Now, this would make sense to almost everybody to understand what exactly has been going on. Under section 6103 in the Tax Code, it is a felony to disclose or to compromise people's tax information and give it to other groups to work with. We shouldn't have to pass laws like this; but unfortunately, laws are not made and governments are not run by angels but they are run by men, so we have to have oversight over what has happened.

This piece of legislation gives the same rights to those people whose information has been violated, whose information has been compromised, as is given to IRS personnel. We found out 2 years ago, and Dr. John Eastman really made the point of it for the National Organization for Marriage, their tax information on their people, their members, was given out, and it went to Human Rights Campaign. Now, you would think
by the name of that that it makes sense, Human Rights Campaign, those are probably good people, but you cannot divulge private tax information to anybody else. It is a felony to do that. But section 6103 also prevented those whose tax information was divulged, they couldn't get information on it. They weren't allowed to even inquire
and were not allowed to be informed of what was taking place. Did it in fact take place? Well, we knew it took place because it was out in the public.

Secondly, who was it who divulged it? We don't know. We can't talk to you about that because that is protected under the Tax Code.

Well, is there an investigation? We can't tell you that either, because that is protected. We can't tell you who it was who divulged it, who they divulged it to, is there an investigation or is there not an investigation. And at the end of it, was there proof found that this was actually done? If so, what is the penalty for it? Those are basic tenets of what we are as Americans.

So I submit to people, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue, as we know it--Mr. Lewis is a good friend of mine--it is American tenets. It is what we firmly believe as Americans. Nobody should be able to do that to us; and if they do that to us, we should be able to inquire about the status of that. This piece of legislation gives every single
taxpayer the same rights as those doing the investigation, those doing the leaks and the findings.

Now, if we are to restore the American people's confidence in our form of government, this is essential. We can't allow these things to happen and then say, well, we could have helped you except for one thing in the Tax Code, section 6103(e). What is going to happen, those people are going to look at us and say: I have absolutely no idea what
you are talking about. We say: Well, we can't really let you know what happened.

So if it really is an American principle and if we really do need to have faith and trust and feel that we are all being treated the same way and in an honest way, and if that is the only way to restore the confidence that the people need to have and the trust they have in our form of government and those of us who they have sent to represent
them, then this type of legislation has to take place.

I am so proud of what our Committee on Ways and Means is doing today under Chairman Ryan and under Mr. Roskam. What are we doing? We are protecting taxpayers and taxpayers' rights. This is so fundamentally American. This shouldn't be anything you even have to stop and think about.

So what we are proposing today under H.R. 1026 is that the taxpayers have the same information and the same knowledge of what is going on with their accounts, what has been divulged, who divulged it, is there an ongoing investigation, what were the findings of that investigation and who is being held responsible, and more important than that, who is being held accountable? These are felonies. Until we get to the point
where the American people have faith and trust in us again and restore their confidence, we have nothing.

In America's House, we as Members have got to make sure that every single day we safeguard the rights of every single American. Unfortunately, this has not taken place in the past, and we have to move forward with it.

I do know that today being April 15 is a day that most people dread. Listen, tax revenues are necessary. We need to have an agency to collect them. But by the same token, when it turns out that those people in that agency--and not all of them, but we have some people in there that are violating individuals' rights, then we have to come
forward and we have to champion legislation that protects the same people who voted us into office and sent us to defend them.

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Mr. Speaker, I agree with everything my colleagues have said. I think Americans need to look at what is going on in their House--America's House--today and to understand that we do understand the difference between right and wrong. We also understand that sometimes absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We started years ago looking into this. We still don't have all the answers. I would just tell some of our fellow citizens that we are not done yet because we knew those things have happened.

I think what the chairman has expressed and Mr. Roskam has expressed is the outrage we feel because it is not only our responsibility, it is our duty to protect every single one of America's citizens. To divulge the information that was divulged and to do it in such a way to use the law to break the law makes absolutely no sense to any of us.

This isn't really about either side of the aisle. This is about all of us, together, doing what is right for the American people. This should reconfirm to the American people that we are here acting in their best interest and defending them every single day that we sit in session and that we sit in office.

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