[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S5219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Thune):
  S. 1793. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance 
taxpayer rights, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the IRS has never been, and likely will 
never be, an agency anyone is glad to hear from.
  However, American taxpayers should at least have confidence that they 
will receive a fair shake from the agency. Without this, our system of 
taxation that relies on voluntary reporting of income will fall apart.
  In recent years, gross mismanagement and inappropriate actions by 
certain IRS employees have shaken what confidence taxpayers have had in 
the agency.
  Today, Senator Thune and I are reintroducing legislation we 
introduced last Congress aimed at ensuring that appropriate safeguards 
are in place to protect taxpayer rights by preventing IRS abuses.
  Called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act (TBORE), our bill 
updates and strengthens several provisions enacted in prior Taxpayer 
Bill of Rights legislation.
  I am pleased that several of the provisions in last Congress' version 
of the bill were enacted into law, including codifying the Taxpayer 
Bill of Rights.
  However, more must be done if we are going to renew the taxpaying 
public's confidence in the IRS.
  No legislation is likely to fix all of the IRS recent shortcomings on 
its own. There is a need for a change of culture within the IRS.
  We hope our bill will serve as a catalyst for a cultural shift within 
the IRS. Our bill sends a clear message to the IRS--Congress is not 
going to tolerate poor service and the systematic abuse of taxpayer 
rights.
  We look forward to working with our colleagues toward reforming the 
IRS and protecting taxpayer rights.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Booker):
  S. 1798. A bill to establish a Federal standard in order to improve 
the Nation's resilience to current and future flood risk; to the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, today I would like to discuss the 
importance of ensuring that federally funded infrastructure projects 
are built to withstand flood damage.
  As we work to provide Federal support to the people of Texas, 
Florida, and the Gulf Coast, Congress should consider how we can ensure 
that our roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure are better 
equipped to withstand future flooding.
  In 2015, President Obama signed an executive order to reinforce and 
expand existing policy regarding Federal action in a floodplain, 
directing agencies to use a higher vertical flood elevation and 
horizontal floodplain for federally funded projects. This was a common-
sense step to improve our resilience in the face of increased flood 
risk.
  Then last month, President Trump signed an executive order to reverse 
his predecessor's action. Despite support from groups ranging from 
environmentalists to the insurance industry, the President has decided 
to undo what a former director of public affairs at FEMA called ``the 
most significant action taken in a generation to safeguard U.S. 
infrastructure.''
  We must prepare our Nation's critical infrastructure to deal with 
flooding. That is why I am I, along with Senators Schatz and Booker, am 
introducing the Flood Risk Management Act of 2017. This bill will 
codify common-sense flood standards and ensure that federally funded 
infrastructure projects are built to withstand flood damage. The 
legislation is supported by the Smarter Safer Coalition, a diverse 
group of organizations ranging from insurance groups, environmental 
organizations to taxpayer advocates.
  If we fail to invest when our roads and bridges are being built, we 
risk the lives of American families and ultimately spend more taxpayer 
dollars to repair them after floods occur. Now is the time to prepare 
for the next disaster--not after it occurs.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. 
        Hirono):
  S. 1801. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require 
institutions of higher education to have an independent advocate for 
campus sexual assault prevention and response, to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, sexual assault is a major issue on our 
Nation's college campuses. Too many young people are sexually assaulted 
while in school. Alarmingly, the majority of these crimes will go 
unreported. The consequences of these crimes are often destructive to a 
student's mental, physical, and emotional well-being. In addition, the 
trauma of the assault and its aftermath drives many survivors to drop 
out of school.
  Sexual assault survivors deserve access to a safe and supportive 
educational environment. I have met with students in Virginia and 
across the Country who have expressed the need for someone on campus to 
turn to for unbiased advice and guidance following an assault. Given 
the prevalence of this issue, it is clear that our federal higher 
education policy must do more to prevent sexual assaults and ensure 
that survivors have access to and can navigate through a plethora of 
resources.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce today the Survivor Outreach and 
Support Campus Act of 2017 or SOS Campus Act. The SOS Campus Act 
requires universities that receive Federal funding to establish an 
independent, on-campus advocate for survivors of sexual assault. The 
advocate will help students access all of the resources available to 
them, both on and off campus, in the wake of a sexual assault and will 
guide them through the process of reporting their assault if they 
choose to do so, acting always in the interests of the victim, not the 
university.
  The SOS Campus Act requires that the confidential advocate is 
responsible for ensuring that survivors, regardless of whether they 
decide to report the crime, have access to emergency and follow-up 
medical care, guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement, 
medical forensic or evidentiary exams, crisis intervention, and 
information on their legal rights. The advocate will also conduct a 
public information campaign on campus to inform students of their 
services, and train other university staff to provide information to 
students about the advocate.
  I am proud to introduce this legislation that would ensure all 
college students across our Country have access to a supportive 
advocate following a sexual assault on campus. I strongly ertdourage my 
colleagues in the Senate to consider this legislation to help protect 
our students from sexual violence and its damaging impact.

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