[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 71 (Thursday, April 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1420-S1422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Ms. Collins):
S. 1337. A bill to temporarily prohibit the hiring of additional
Internal Revenue Service employees until a certain level of taxpayer
services have improved, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Finance.
Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1337
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Increase Reliable Services
Now Act''.
SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL TAX ENFORCEMENT
PERSONNEL.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, the Internal Revenue Service may not hire any person for
the purpose of conducting enforcement activities during the
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and
ending on the first date after such date on which--
(1) the Internal Revenue Service has maintained, for 6
consecutive months--
(A) a level of access for accounts management phone lines
of not less than 90 percent; and
(B) an average speed of answering enterprise-wide calls in
4 minutes or less; and
(2) not less than 90 percent of the regular employees of
the Internal Revenue Service perform work in person at their
job sites.
(b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
(1) Enforcement activities.--The term ``enforcement
activities'' means activities described in section
10301(a)(1)(A)(ii) of Public Law 117-169.
(2) Level of access.--The term ``level of access'' means a
telephone performance measure that reflects overall taxpayer
call demand and Internal Revenue Service assistance and is
calculated by dividing--
(A) the sum of assistor calls answered and the automated
calls answered; by
(B) the total dialed number attempts (not including any
dialed number attempts after hours).
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF ADDITIONAL INTERNAL REVENUE
SERVICE FUNDS FOR TAXPAYER AUDITS.
Section 10301(a)(1)((A)(ii) of Public Law 117-169 is
amended by inserting before the period at the end the
following: ``: Provided further, That the Internal Revenue
Service shall not audit taxpayers with taxable incomes below
$400,000 at a greater rate than such taxpayers were audited
for the most recent taxable year beginning before the date of
the enactment of this Act''.
SEC. 4. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION ON INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
HIRING.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of
law, the Internal Revenue Service may not hire any person
(other than for activities related to return processing and
call center operations) during the period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the first
date after such date on which the Internal Revenue Service
meets the requirements of subsection (b).
(b) Requirements.--The requirements specified in this
subsection are the following:
(1) With respect to the completion of processing original
and amended tax returns, the completion of processing
suspended tax returns, and the resolution of accounts
management cases, the Internal Revenue Service has an
aggregate inventory not in excess of 5,000,000 items as of
the close of any calendar quarter.
(2) With respect to tax returns eligible for a refund,
refunds are issued to taxpayers on average within six weeks
or less of the receipt of the return.
SEC. 5. REPORTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 7 days after the last day
of each calendar quarter beginning during the applicable
period, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in consultation
with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration,
shall submit to the appropriate Congressional committees
report on--
(1) the level of access for accounts management phone lines
for each month during such calendar quarter;
(2) the average speed of answering enterprise-wide calls
for each month during such calendar quarter;
(3) the percentage of regular employees of the Internal
Revenue Service that perform work in person at their job
sites during such calendar quarter;
(4) the aggregate inventory of unprocessed original and
amended tax returns, unprocessed suspended tax returns, and
unresolved
[[Page S1421]]
accounts management cases as of the last day of the calendar
quarter; and
(5) with respect to tax returns eligible for a refund, the
average length of time between receipt of a tax return and
the issuance of a refund.
(b) Applicable Period.--For purposes of this section, the
term ``applicable period'' means the period beginning with
the first calendar quarter beginning after the date of the
enactment of this Act and ending with the first calendar
quarter in which the Internal Revenue Service--
(1) has met the requirements under paragraphs (1) and (2)
of section 2(a); and
(2) has met the requirements of section 4(b).
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--For purposes of
this section, the term ``appropriate Congressional
committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Finance of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
______
By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Casey, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mr. Wyden, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Heinrich):
S. 1341. A bill to reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act
of 1965, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. REED. Madam President, it is time for a national investment in
building a strong and resilient educator pipeline to ensure that all
schools have the diverse, profession-ready teachers, principals,
librarians, counselors, and other specialized instructional support
personnel they need to support student development and academic
achievement. Today, along with Senators Casey, Lujan, Van Hollen,
Wyden, Stabenow, Merkley, and Heinrich, I am reintroducing the
EDUCATORS for America Act to provide the blueprint for building this
pipeline. I am pleased that Representative Alma Adams is introducing a
companion bill in the other body.
For years, we have seen declines in enrollment in educator
preparation programs. Now in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools
are facing pervasive staffing shortages. An Education Week survey found
that 40 percent of school district leaders and principals describe the
shortages as ``severe'' or ``very severe.'' The National Association of
Secondary School Principals reported that nearly 4 out of 10 principals
expect to leave the profession in the next 3 years. We cannot afford to
neglect the educator pipeline any longer.
As we work to replenish the ranks of our educators, we also have the
opportunity to advance diversity in the profession. Multiple studies
have shown that racial diversity can provide significant benefits to
students. However, the gap between the demographic makeup of the
student body and the education profession has been widening. Even
though over 50 percent of students are people of color, a 2022
Department of Education report showed that 80 percent of public-school
teachers identified as White, a figure that has barely changed since
2000.
The EDUCATORS for America Act calls for a $1 billion annual
investment in the educator pipeline, divided evenly between State
capacity building and direct support for educator preparation programs
and partnerships with high-need school districts. It addresses the full
scope of educator workforce development, including early outreach and
career exploration, financial assistance, and wraparound supports for
those pursuing education careers. It supports clinical preparation for
teachers, principals, and other educators, as well as fostering faculty
development, all with a focus on ensuring equity and diversity.
The EDUCATORS for America Act will also reduce financiq] barriers to
pursuing careers in education. The legislation will double the value of
the TEACH-- Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher
Education-- grant to $8,000 per year and provide greater flexibility
for meeting service requirements. It forgives loans for teachers,
principals, and early childhood educators in high need schools after 5
years of service, and it establishes a new monthly credit for all other
educators that will allow them to earn loan forgiveness as they serve
instead of being forced to wait a decade before receiving any benefit.
The EDUCATORS for America Act reflects input from stakeholders across
the field about what is needed to recruit, prepare, and support
educators. To date, more than 50 organizations have endorsed it.
The Nation's outlook for the future is tied to the strength of the
education profession. Our economic prosperity, the health of our
democracy and civic society, and our ability to meet the challenges of
climate change and the information age depend on our students having
access to well-prepared and supported educators who reflect the
diversity of the students they serve.
Today, the profession is in crisis. It is time to act. I urge my
colleagues to cosponsor the EDUCATORS for America Act and work with me
to see that it is enacted into law.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Durbin, Mr.
Booker, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Hirono,
Ms. Warren, and Mr. Sanders):
S. 1343. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to alter
the definition of ``conviction'', and for other purposes; to the
Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Fair
Adjudications for Immigrants Act.
This legislation would ensure that immigrants with criminal
convictions do not face barriers to naturalization and experience
unfair removals after their convictions have been dismissed, expunged,
or pardoned by a Federal or State locality.
The Fair Adjudications for Immigrants Act is important in ensuring
immigrants are not unjustly treated after receiving a criminal charge
that never resulted in a conviction or after a previous conviction no
longer stands.
Specifically, this bill would ensure that immigrants whose
convictions have been overturned are not penalized when they are no
longer considered valid in the court of conviction or for sentences
that have been fully suspended by the sentencing court.
By redefining the term ``conviction'' in the Immigration and
Nationality Act, this legislation also clarifies that any adjudication
that is appealable or in which the court has issued a judicial
recommendation against removal or probation without judgment will not
count as a conviction.
The bill would apply retroactively to any conviction, adjudication,
or judgement entered before, on, or after the enactment of this bill.
Finally, it establishes that an immigrant cannot be removed on the
basis of a conviction if the sentencing court issues a recommendation
against removal to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Under current law, rather than having access to many rehabilitative
measures that are afforded in the criminal justice system, immigrants
with dismissed criminal charges, suspended sentences, or criminal
convictions that are no longer considered valid in the court of
conviction still face severe consequences in the immigration court
system.
Some of the immigration consequences that immigrants can face include
unjust removals, mandatory detention, and barriers to naturalization.
It is imperative that we resolve this disparity between immigration
and criminal law to prevent those immigrants with dismissed criminal
charges or with convictions that are no longer considered valid in the
court of conviction from continuing to face punitive immigration
consequences.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Wyden, Mr.
Whitehouse, and Mr. Booker):
S. 1353. A bill to amend section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 in order to allow adjunct faculty members to qualify for public
service loan forgiveness; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1353
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page S1422]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Adjunct Faculty Loan
Fairness Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR ADJUNCT FACULTY.
Section 455(m)(3)(B)(ii) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``teaching as'' and inserting the
following: ``teaching--
``(I) as'';
(2) by striking ``, foreign language faculty, and part-time
faculty at community colleges), as determined by the
Secretary.'' and inserting ``and foreign language faculty),
as determined by the Secretary; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(II) at an institution of higher education (as defined in
section 101(a)), a postsecondary vocational institution (as
defined in section 102(c)), or a Tribal College or University
(as defined in section 316(b)), in non-tenured track
employment as an adjunct or contingent faculty, teacher, or
lecturer who--
``(aa) teaches--
``(AA) not less than 9 credit hours per semester, 6 credit
hours per trimester, or 18 credit hours per calendar year; or
``(BB) not less than a total of 30 hours per week, as
determined by multiplying each credit or contact hour taught
per week by 3.35 (or a larger number, if determined
appropriate by the Secretary); and
``(bb) is not employed on a full-time basis by any other
employer.''.
____________________