Washington, D.C. – Yesterday and today, the House passed multiple bills to redesign the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the first time in over two decades.

Upon passage of these bills, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement:

“A new tax code calls for a new tax administrator, and we have worked together so that the IRS can be transformed into an agency with a singular mission: ‘taxpayer first.’ With this package, we are taking a monumental step in redesigning the IRS for first time in 20 years, refocusing the agency to live up to its mission of quality service, and reining in its enforcement powers to prevent future abuse.

“These bipartisan bills are the result of nearly a dozen hearings and roundtables, countless briefings and meetings, and close work with stakeholders over the course of the last two years. I want to thank all of our Members for their tireless work on these bills, especially Oversight Chairman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Oversight Ranking Member John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH), Rep. George Holding (R-NC), Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), and Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI). Their leadership and dedication has been instrumental in passing these pieces of legislation and I hope the Senate considers these measures soon.”

Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Jenkins added:

“As a CPA, I’ve seen first-hand countless examples of the IRS being out of date with technology and out of touch with the needs of the taxpayer. Yesterday’s website failure at the IRS added more urgency to the need to modernize the IRS and focus on the taxpayer experience. I would like to thank Ranking Member Lewis and the rest of my colleagues on the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee for their bipartisan work to modernize the IRS. At a time when Americans are increasingly frustrated by government and the apparent inability to get things done for the country, these bills are a welcome reminder that there are issues that unite both sides of the aisle and we can get things done that improve the lives of every American. The taxpayer deserves a better experience with the IRS and this bipartisan effort will seek to accomplish exactly that.”

BACKGROUND: The bills relating to IRS redesign passed by the House yesterday and today include:

H.R. 5444 – The Taxpayer First Act – passed 414 – 0;

H.R. 5445 – The 21^st Century IRS Act – passed 414 – 3;

H.R. 2901 – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Permanence Act of 2017 – passed by unanimous consent;

H.R. 5440 – To require notice from the Secretary of the Treasury in the case of any closure of a Taxpayer Assistance Center – passed by unanimous consent;

H.R. 5438 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employees of the IRS and the Department of the Treasury to provide taxpayers information on low-income taxpayer clinics – passed by unanimous consent;

H.R. 5446 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restrict the immediate sale of seized property by Secretary of the Treasury to perishable goods – passed by unanimous consent;

H.R. 5437 – To require the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a program for the issuance of identity protection personal identification numbers upon request – passed by unanimous consent;

H.R. 5439 – To provide for a single point of contact at the Internal Revenue Service for taxpayers who are victims of tax-related identity theft – passed by unanimous consent; and

H.R. 5443 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require electronic filing of the annual returns of exempt organizations and provide for making such returns available for public inspection – passed by unanimous consent.