Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act
The Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act would require the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to approve any plan to assign or impose a Homeland Security function on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) personnel. Before such a function can be imposed, TIGTA must determine that IRS personnel have been trained to perform it and that doing so would not hinder the IRS’s ability to serve taxpayers or enforce the law with integrity and fairness. The determination becomes effective when published in the Federal Register, and TIGTA may terminate it in the same way. The bill also adds a conforming amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reference this act. In short, it creates a formal TIGTA review and approval requirement (with an optional termination) before DHS duties can be placed on IRS staff.
Key Points
- 1A DHS function cannot be imposed on IRS personnel unless TIGTA determines two things: (1) the personnel are trained to administer that function; and (2) imposing the function would not impede IRS operations, including providing quality service to taxpayers and enforcing the law with integrity and fairness.
- 2The determination becomes effective upon publication in the Federal Register, and TIGTA may terminate the determination in the same manner.
- 3The bill creates a conforming amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, adding a cross-reference to this act (“Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act”) in the provision cited.
- 4The bill is titled “Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act” and was introduced in the House (H.R. 2421) in the 119th Congress, sponsored by Ms. DelBene and Ms. Sewell, and referred to the Ways and Means Committee.