Paul Coverdell: “I rise today to report on the implementation of the Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act of 1997. Two years ago, the…”

“I rise today to report on the implementation of the Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act of 1997. Two years ago, the Congress passed and the President signed into law, legislation I proposed with Senator John Glenn that sought to end the egregious protection of unauthorized inspections of taxpayer files. Something I prefer to call ``file snooping.'' I am pleased to report that, according to a GAO report my office is releasing today, it appears that the Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act is working. But, we still have work to do. The report demonstrates that file snooping still occurs, but the incidents have become fewer. I believe this is good news for taxpayers. At the same time, as I stated previously, our work is not done. The GAO found that sixteen confirmed cases of file snooping occurred since the enactment of the Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act, each of which had been appropriately referred for prosecution. Unfortunately, 15 cases were declined for prosecution meaning there was only one case in which taxpayers were notified that their privacy had been violated. In those 15 cases, the affected taxpayers were not assured the opportunity to seek the civil recourse available under the law. I believe we have a duty to correct this loophole.”