ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

Subcommittee on Oversight

Congressman Amo Houghton (R-NY), Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the annual reports of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) National Taxpayer Advocate and the IRS Oversight Board. The hearing will take place on Thursday, February 28, 2002, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 p.m.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

The position of National Taxpayer Advocate was established by the 1996 Taxpayer Bill of Rights (P.L. 104-168), replacing the original Taxpayer Ombudsman that had been created by the IRS in 1979. Taxpayers who believe they are suffering significant hardships or long delays can appeal to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for assistance. The Taxpayer Advocate must submit a report each year to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance.

Established by the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-206), following the recommendation of the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS, the IRS Oversight Board first convened in 2000. Its purpose is to oversee the IRS in its administration of the execution and application of internal revenue laws. Now, following its first full year of operation, the Oversight Board is submitting its first annual report to Congress.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Houghton stated, "The reports of the IRS Taxpayer Advocate and the Oversight Board provide Congress with key insights into the operations of the IRS. In our efforts to improve IRS operations, we welcome the independent recommendations made in these reports."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

Congress will review the Taxpayer Advocate and Oversight Board annual reports in order to assess the mission and priorities for the upcoming year.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to 202/225-2610 by the close of business, Thursday, March 14, 2002. Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver their 200 copies to the Subcommittee on Oversight in room 1136 Longworth House Office Building, in an open and searchable package 48 hours before the hearing. The U.S. Capitol police will refuse messenger deliveries to all House Office buildings.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record, or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in WordPerfect or MS Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.