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House Passes 3 Bills Co-Sponsored by Rep. Kelly to Stop Future IRS Abuse

September 17, 2014

Rep. Kelly: “As the lessons of this shameful saga are learned,
remedies for the IRS’s corruption must be carried out”

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight – issued the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed three pieces of legislation authored by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, M.D. (R-LA) to limit the power of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the wake of ongoing investigations into the agency’s unlawful targeting of conservative organizations. Rep. Kelly is the sole original co-sponsor of each bill.

“I strongly commend my colleagues in the House for passing today’s commonsense bills to protect all Americans from future overreach by the IRS. Our committee’s ongoing investigation into the agency’s scandalous abuses has simultaneously revealed meaningful ways to prevent such abuse from ever being repeated. Today’s legislation makes it clear that as the lessons of this shameful saga are learned, remedies for the IRS’s corruption can and must be carried out. Never again should the most feared federal entity be permitted to target, punish, or harass innocent American citizens for simply excising their lawfully protected right to free speech. The Senate now has a duty to follow our lead and defend the rights of the American people by supporting these bills, along with othermeasures already passed by the People’s House.”

NOTE: Today’s three House-passed bills to prevent future abuse by the IRS include:

· H.R. 5418: To prohibit officers and employees of the Internal Revenue Service from using personal email accounts to conduct official business.

· H.R. 5419: To provide tax-exempt groups the right to an administrative appeal relating to adverse determinations of tax-exempt status.

· H.R. 5420: To permit the release of certain information to victims regarding the status of investigations into leaks of their personal taxpayer information.

BACKGROUND: Rep. Kelly has been a prominentvocalleader in the ongoing pursuit for answers since news of the IRS scandal first broke. He is the original sponsor of the Government Employee Accountability Act, which would grant all federal agencies the power to fire reckless Senior Executive Service (SES) employees (such as Lois Lerner) on the spot, or place them on “investigative leave” without pay. The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on August 1, 2013, as part of H.R. 2879, the Stop Government Abuse Act, by a bipartisan vote of 239-176.

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