Vote Explanations for H.R. 1206, H.R. 3724, and H.R. 4890

4/22/2016

This week the House voted on a series of IRS-related bills. We started off with The No Hires for Delinquent IRS Act (H.R. 1206). This bill would prevent the IRS from hiring any new employees until the Treasury Secretary certified to Congress that the IRS did not have any employees with delinquent tax debt.

Everyone, especially those in a position of public trust, has a responsibility to pay their taxes, and the vast majority of IRS employees do — less than 1% of employees IRS employees are delinquent in their taxes. However, I voted against H.R. 1206 because it is unreasonable to ask the IRS to stop all hiring because of a few bad actors. Like all taxpayers, the government will hold these individuals accountable and ensure that any tax debt is paid.

The next bill we passed was the Ensuring Integrity in the IRS Workforce Act of 2015 (H.R 3724). This bill prevents the IRS from rehiring a former employee who was fired for misconduct. I voted for the bill and it passed the House with broad bipartisan support.

Another bill that passed was the Ban IRS Bonuses Until Customer Service Strategy Is Developed Act (H.R. 4890). This bill prevents the IRS from paying bonuses to IRS employees until the Treasury Secretary submits a comprehensive strategy to improve customer service at the IRS and this strategy is adopted and implemented. I voted against this bill because the IRS has already implemented a strategy to improve customer service and I do not believe preventing the IRS from rewarding its best employees is an effective tool to addressing personnel and customer service issues the IRS is currently facing. The bill passed by a vote of 260–158.