Steny Hoyer: “I want to rise, however, to say that this bill is a continuation of IRS reform, and to congratulate Secretary Rubin…”

“I want to rise, however, to say that this bill is a continuation of IRS reform, and to congratulate Secretary Rubin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Summers, and Carl Rossotti who, like all of us, have seen the need to bring both management reform and procedural reform and taxpayer sensitivity to the IRS. Secretary Rubin is the first Secretary of Treasury with whom I have served since 1981 who has paid attention to the management issues at IRS. He formed, in 1997, a management board. He also made the determination to bring on a professional manager, Charles Rossotti, the founder and chairman of American Management Systems, and brought on as commissioner for a term. That change was a critically important change. It is well and good that we amend the law so that we put forth a system that will reform the IRS management and the IRS dealing with taxpayers. But what is critically important is that we have on board personnel committed to that objective.”