Barbara Lee: “I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in support of the Jackson Lee amendment to Rules Committee Print 116-20 which…”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in support of the Jackson Lee amendment to Rules Committee Print 116-20 which makes appropriations for fiscal year 2020, H.R. 3351, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2020. I wish to commend Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry for their work in shepherding this legislation to the floor. Mr. Chair, the Jackson Lee amendment is simple but provides an important and necessary protection for grieving parents. The Jackson Lee amendment ensures that the IRS Tax Advocate Service has adequate resources to assist parents of a deceased child whose Social Security number was stolen by tax cheats and used on a Federal tax return to receive an Earned Income Tax Credit. The Jackson Lee amendment is intended to be a compassionate use of IRS funds to help grieving parents navigate the process of reclaiming their child's identity from tax cheats. This amendment is necessary when we consider the story of little Alexis Agin who was just 4 years old when she died of a brain tumor in 2011. {time} 1630 Her parents grieved. Someone stole Alexis' identity to commit tax fraud. Alexis' parents did not discover the crime until they filed their taxes. The sad fact is, Alexis' parents are not alone. They were one of at least 14 other parents whose children died of cancer and learned that their child's Social Security number had been stolen by tax thieves.…”