Patty Murray: “I am so pleased we are finally acting to send this bill to the President. This important legislation has been delayed…”

“I am so pleased we are finally acting to send this bill to the President. This important legislation has been delayed long enough. It has been over a year since the Kerrey/Portman IRS Reform Commission reported their findings to Congress and the American people. The Commission's report was extremely clear. The IRS had become a monster agency feared by law abiding citizens. It acted with total disregard for the rights of American taxpayers and ruled not through law or practice, but fear and fear alone. I urge swift Senate action on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2676, the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act. The American people cannot afford any further delay or political grandstanding. The House passed their bill on November 5, 1997 and we passed a reform bill on May 7, 1998. We should have been acting on a final conference report months ago. Unfortunately, despite the extensive analysis contained in the Kerrey/Portman Commission's report, some in Congress chose to engage in partisan politics using IRS abuses as a mechanism for talking about the evils of 'big government.' The American taxpayer deserved better.”