On the recordMay 16, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Renacci, and Mr. Kelly--in a common refrain. What Mr. Renacci, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Pascrell have identified here is something we have been working on in the committee for quite some time, and that is to make sure that we have a tax administration and a Tax Code that respects the privacy of individuals. When that privacy is violated--I cannot speak like my colleague from Pennsylvania and quote Shakespeare, as I am a simple country lawyer from western New York--simply, what we need to do is to stand on the side of our taxpayers. When tax fraud occurs, real people suffer as a result of it. What Mr. Renacci and all of us have come together here to support are simple, commonsense reforms that are going to help people out like Terry. Terry is from Hornell in my district. He reached out to us, Mr. Speaker, about 1\1/2\ years to 2 years ago. He, too, was the victim of identity fraud and identity theft. When he went to file his return, he found out that he would not be getting that refund because someone had already stolen that money from the U.S. Government. Terry relied on that money, Mr. Speaker. He needed that money. After many phone calls, after many efforts from our office, we were able to work it out and get that taken care of for Terry.…





