[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3370-H3371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR A SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT FOR TAX-RELATED IDENTITY THEFT 
                                VICTIMS

  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5439) to provide for a single point of contact at the 
Internal Revenue Service for the taxpayers who are victims of tax-
related identity theft, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5439

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT FOR TAX-RELATED IDENTITY 
                   THEFT VICTIMS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Treasury (or the 
     Secretary's delegate) shall establish and implement 
     procedures to ensure that any taxpayer whose return has been 
     delayed or otherwise adversely affected due to tax-related 
     identity theft has a single point of contact at the Internal 
     Revenue Service throughout the processing of the taxpayer's 
     case. The single point of contact shall track the taxpayer's 
     case to completion and coordinate with other Internal Revenue 
     Service employees to resolve case issues as quickly as 
     possible.
       (b) Single Point of Contact.--
       (1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a), the single 
     point of contact shall consist of a team or subset of 
     specially trained employees who--
       (A) have the ability to work across functions to resolve 
     the issues involved in the taxpayer's case, and
       (B) shall be accountable for handling the case until its 
     resolution.
       (2) Team or subset.--The employees included within the team 
     or subset described in paragraph (1) may change as required 
     to meet the needs of the Internal Revenue Service, provided 
     that procedures have been established to--
       (A) ensure continuity of records and case history, and
       (B) notify the taxpayer when appropriate.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Renacci) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5439, currently under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that modernizing the IRS' ability to 
administer our Tax Code is a critical next step following the passage 
of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I am pleased that today we are 
considering H.R. 5439, which creates a single point of contact at the 
IRS for identity theft victims.
  I introduced this legislation with my good friend, Representative  
John Lewis. He and I have worked tirelessly over the last few years to 
protect the identity of taxpayers, having introduced legislation that 
has passed the House and was signed into law in 2015 that took steps to 
help reduce identity theft.
  I was proud to reintroduce with him this Congress the Stolen Identity 
Refund Fraud Prevention Act that has nearly 20 bipartisan cosponsors 
and which included the provision that we are considering today.
  Identity theft has become a growing concern in Ohio and across the 
United States. Unfortunately, it seems as if there is now constant news 
of individuals having their identities stolen due to massive data 
breaches. It is one of the most costly crimes to consumers and 
businesses, and it is the fastest growing white-collar crime in America 
according to the Federal Trade Commission.
  As many of my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee have heard, 
I, myself, was also the victim of identity theft not too long ago. I 
understand the frustration, fear, and sense of helplessness that many 
feel when learning that a criminal has stolen their identity.
  In 2016, a criminal stole my personal information and filed a return 
with my name, my wife's name, our Social Security numbers, and other 
personal information. The thieves even had a W-2 from the U.S. Congress 
that contained a fake version of my information. I didn't learn about 
this fraud until I received an IRS notice questioning a return I had 
filed--even though I had not yet filed.
  Each year, thousands of families trying to resolve this same sort of 
headache have to prove to the Federal Government that they are who they 
say they are. That included me, right along with everyone else, 
creating this tremendous call volume the IRS receives on a given day. I 
had to go through that same process.
  People thought: Wow, you had to go through the same process trying to 
get through to the IRS?
  I said: Yes, I did. I had to reexplain my story every time I called.
  This commonsense legislation will simply require the IRS to establish 
a single point of contact at the IRS for taxpayers who have been 
impacted by identity theft. This will help everyday Americans who have 
had to deal with the stress and inconvenience of having their identity 
stolen get the service they deserve from the IRS.
  I thank Chairman Brady, Ranking Member Neal, and the Ways and Means 
Committee staff for moving this legislation forward, and I encourage my 
colleagues to support its final passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5439. I believe that 
this is one of my favorite bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to join my friend, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Renacci), in introducing this commonsense bill, and I want to 
thank the gentleman for it.
  The gentleman from Ohio and I share a passion and a commitment to 
this issue. Two years ago we introduced the Stolen Identity Fraud 
Prevention Act. We both believe that taxpayers should receive the help 
and support that they need and deserve, and I am proud to join him 
again today in sponsoring this bill.
  In recent years, I also included this commonsense policy in the Ways 
and Means Oversight Subcommittee Democratic bill, the Taxpayer 
Protection Act.
  H.R. 5439 responds to a frequent, ongoing concern of many of our 
citizens. This bill will help ease the frustration that victims of tax-
related identity theft feel, and it addresses a top IRS casework issue 
in my congressional district.
  H.R. 5439 establishes a single point of contact within the Internal 
Revenue Service for any taxpayer who is the victim of identity theft. 
As a result of this bill, the taxpayer will not need to start again 
from scratch every time they try to get an update on their case. 
Instead, the single point of contact would work with other IRS units to 
solve the taxpayer issue as quickly as possible.
  This good, commonsense bill will help taxpayers across our country. 
For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support 
H.R. 5439.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to urge my colleagues to 
support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this commonsense legislation is a strong step forward in 
ensuring that the American people receive the customer service that 
they

[[Page H3371]]

deserve from the IRS should they have their identity stolen.
  Along with my personal story, I have heard from countless 
constituents and Ohioans who have been frustrated by the hoops that 
they often need to jump through to get their identity theft concerns 
addressed, all the while dealing with the fear and anxiety of having 
their identity stolen. This bipartisan legislation will provide relief 
by requiring a single point of contact within the IRS for victims of 
identity theft.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for his 
support.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Renacci) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5439, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________