news

This week, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) voted in favor of several pieces of legislation to ensure the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is putting the best interests of American taxpayers ahead of any political or agency agenda:

“Over the past few years, the IRS has become the face of government incompetence and corruption.  In the aftermath of the scandal that revealed the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS, it is imperative that Congress restore oversight of the tax collecting agency and ensure that its employees are responsible stewards of taxpayers’ hard-earned money,” said Congressman Latta. “I supported these bills because I believe the IRS should be servicing customers first, instead of giving out bonuses and hiring unqualified workers, so that tax refunds may be issued in a timely manner. Tax dollars do not belong to the federal government to use as it pleases – they belong to the American taxpayer, and thus should be used responsibly.”

On April 20, 2016, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1206, the No Hires for the Delinquent IRS Act, and H.R. 4885, the IRS Oversight While Eliminating Spending (OWES) Act.  H.R. 1206 would prohibit the IRS from hiring new employees until it publicly certifies that the agency does not employ any individual who has a seriously delinquent tax debt.  H.R. 4885 would require the IRS to deposit fees in the Treasury Department’s general fund and prohibit the expenditure of such fees unless Congress appropriates it.

Today, the House passed H.R. 3724, the Ensuring Integrity in the IRS Workforce Act, and H.R. 4890.  H.R. 3724 would prohibit the IRS from rehiring any individual who was previously employed by the IRS but was removed for misconduct or whose employment was terminated for cause.  Finally, H.R. 4890 would prohibit the payment of bonuses to employees of the IRS until the Treasury Department develops and implements a comprehensive customer service strategy to improve customer service over the short-, medium-, and long-term.