Washington, DC) – This week, Congressman Larry Bucshon, a physician from Southern Indiana, joined his colleagues in the House to pass measures that protect hardworking taxpayers from government overreach. Three of the bills were specific to protecting taxpayers from recent overreach by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These measures are part of a larger package of bills related to “Stop Government Abuse Week.â€
Bucshon released the following statement regarding his votes:
“As an American taxpayer, I have serious concerns about a government agency, like the IRS, actively working to silence the free speech of citizens. Our Founders established a government that works for the people, not the reverse, and it is my Constitutional duty to hold this Administration accountable for its abuse of power.
“Dealing with the IRS is already an unnerving experience for many Americans, and their recent actions have only reaffirmed public distrust of the agency. These bills put the taxpayer back in control by reinforcing their rights, increasing transparency, and instituting aggressive Congressional oversight of IRS-taxpayer interaction.â€
BACKGROUND:
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In response to a large number of IRS scandals, three bills passed out of the House this week enumerate a basic Taxpayer Bill of Rights, and prescribe how the IRS should interact with taxpayers moving forward.
1. H.R. 2530, the Taxpayer Transparency and Efficient Audit Act improves IRS transparency and accountability during the audit process. Specifically, H.R. 2530 requires the IRS to:
·  Provide a substantive written response to any taxpayer who corresponds with the agency within 30 days.
·  Provide pertinent information to any taxpayer whom the agency discloses personal information about to any federal, state, or local agency/government.
·  Conduct and conclude an audit of an individual’s tax return in no longer than 1 year.
2.      H.R. 2531, the Protecting Taxpayers from Intrusive IRS Requests Act prohibits the IRS from requesting information regarding taxpayers’ religious, political, or social beliefs, protecting their First Amendment Rights.
3.      H.R. 3865, the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014 prohibits the IRS from finalizing proposed 501(c)(4) regulations, that have been directed at the Administrations critics, for one year so that the House Committee on Ways and Means can complete its investigation and process the 23,000 public comments.
In August of last year, Bucshon joined the House to pass a package of bills that empower citizens and stop government abuses that threaten our economy as a part of “Stop Government Abuse Week.†The measures address issues ranging from unfair taxpayer funded bonuses, citizens’ rights when dealing with federal regulatory officials, and more. More information can be found here - http://bucshon.house.gov/press-release/dr-bucshon-votes-stop-government-abuse.
A full list of the “Stop Government Abuse†bills the House considered this week can be found here - http://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USHRC/2014/02/24/file_attachments/273043/%2528Courtesy%2Bof%2Bthe%2BMajority%2BLeader%2529%2B%2523StopGovtAbuse%2BWeek%2BBills.pdf.
I caught your two words “increasing transparency” above Larry.
It reminded me of your vote on a Democratic bid to HR 359 on January 26, 2011.
The Democratic motion, (which was defeated 173 – 228,) sought to require TV attack ads and other campaign commercials to identify the corporation, union, foreign government or other entity paying for it.
Such disclosure is not required under terms of the Supreme Court’s 2009 Citizens United ruling.
You rascal you:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/112-2011/h24
ribbit
Keep up the good work Congressman Bucshon. Obama’s abuse of the IRS is a national disgrace.
What a crock.
If Larry wanted real reform he would ask for all 501 C 4’s to have to spend 100% of everying on “social welfare” as they were intened not on poltical ads or lobbying.
I love how the tighty righties get get their undies in a bunch that the IRS investigated hyperpartisan tax focused groups that were seeking non-partisan tax-exempt status.
BTW the “targeting” came from a conservaitve republican in the Cincinnati IRS office that wanted to make sure all the teajesters applications were uniform and complete and would pass muster. There is you “scandal”.
Oh and BTW just exactly how is the IRS supposed to audit these groups? There is only so much time and money and you have to focus on certains groups, materiality, etc.
Of course Larry doesn’t want real reform he wants phony reform and he wants to pull the chain of the faux outrage of the RW machine.
♪ Same as it ever was”
What is it about the Tea Party that you hate so much?
Your kidding right? I must say it has been fun watching them split their party in half. They need to treed on off to some place else!
No. I am serious.
I can only speak for myself but I do not “hate the tea party”. I know several very nice people who have associations with the tea party. They however seem to be the peaceful, dare I say moderate, arm of the TP. I agree with some of the good messages they have tried to promote in this area. And others not so much.
That said, it is the extremes of both parties that are very bothersome and the tea party falls in this range much of the time. Demanding extreme views and behavior excludes getting the job done in congress. It walls out compromise. It promotes the “my way or the highway” on both sides.
And I really do no like that members of both houses, state and federal, do not seem to know how to think for themselves, to think beyond and outside of the party line. I want to elect the person, not the party. And I want a good candidate to vote for. With the way government works now, good people who would provide good public policy for us citizens do not run for office because they don’t want to roll in the muck.
Tea Party voters are a pretty self-assured lot. They’re 100 percent certain that if they stand by conservative principles (as they define them), scorning any compromises, a minority can rule the world.
—> SHAMEFUL <—
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/tea-party-protests-nier-f_n_507116.html
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/21/10_reasons_the_tea_party_is_wildly_unpopular_partner/
Nice to see you support such actions.
@Martha;
“I can only speak for myself but I do not “hate the tea partyâ€. I know several very nice people who have associations with the tea party.”
Do you realize how bigoted that sounds. I can remember back in the last century the same said about blacks or $Name_Your_Race.
What specific messages of theirs do you disagree? Here is the link to their platform, which of those do you object or find extreme?
http://www.teaparty-platform.com/
I don’t hate the tp because I hate very few people. I do hate some destructive ideas and horrible criminal actions but these are extremes that any sane kind person would hate.
I don’t think that this is a bigoted statement. The tp members I referred are 1) an elderly woman who speaks softly but speaks about what she believes. I believe her to be a moderate tp. 2)I know two couples who fall under the tp umbrella who are also decent folks who live nearby. I have heard one of those couples speak at an open mic meeting where I also spoke. We each expressed our views which were opposing and that was it. We still are cordial to each other and in fact discuss gardening occasionally.
I wrote a post in another area of todays articles or possibly yesterdays which expressed that extreme views are divisive. Hating the tea party is unproductive and does not make anyone’s life better. Your comments about my view were unexpected.
You still haven’t answered what specific views or platform you consider extreme.
Spot-on, BB! All they need to do is enforce the law as it was originally written.
Dr. B. is sending out the obligatory news release to do his share to keep the non-scandals alive in the minds of the crazies.
Lois Lerner took the 5th, later admitted to IRS targeting of conservative groups, apologized, resigned her position and has since retired. Two other IRS commissioners have also resigned while this entire power play has been blamed on “low level workers” The question is how did the activities of these IRS employees go undetected by their leadership? My guess it that the targeting of these groups was sanctioned by higher ups, otherwise the IRS (our largest federal bureaucracy), is just plain incompetent. Take your pick.
Hi myturn!
Been awhile
Welcome to a different forum that is still not going to let you dominate with your opinions.
Nor mine:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/18/politics/irs-scandal/
Martha Crosley, TEA party members are the same as you and I. They go to work, take care of their families and are VERY worried about the growth of the federal government and the damaging affects it’s overreach has on individual citizens and businesses. I encourage you to go to a TP meeting to find out for yourself where they stand and what they stand for.
You’re right about many people avoiding politics because they don’t want to roll in the muck, however I have a lot of respect for those who choose to roll, they know that somewhere in the middle of that muck lies our freedom.
Tea Party members are the same as you.
You need to let Martha speak for herself.
Good Lord it’s so good to hear from you again!
What is it with Tea People they never return the compliment?
nite
Ahhh yes the 2010 election that has done SOOOOOO much for our country.
Please note the dripping sarcasm.
After campaigning on jobs, jobs, jobs and small gubermint
the VERY FIRST BILL the teajerks put on the floor in 2011
was the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Bill” sponsored by the good ‘ol boys who can’t get pregnant” Todd Akin and Paul Ryan.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/republican-plan-redefine-rape-abortion
The bill got into defining rape as forcible or not forcible etc. Lovely huh?
All those “jobs” bills they whined and complained about they had sent to Harry Reid????
The were nothing but deregulations that would have allowed their corporate masters to pollute more and of course the same old song of more subsidies for the oil and gas companies and tax for CEO’s err I mean corporations.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/24/1113175/-Republican-jobs-bills-aren-t-really-jobs-bills-according-to-economists#
http://www.cps-news.com/archives/gop-jobs-bill-everything-except/
Dude, Motherjones and Daily Kos are about as balanced as Rush Limbaugh. They are both extreme left wing hack attack rags. They like Rush Limbaugh mix lies with the truth perfectly to flame up feeble minds. None are credible.
Of cooooooooooooooourse. You sources are slanted or dubious.
Just dismiss what you don’t like with a brush of your hand without looking at the substance of them.
One of the seven habits of highly effective deniers.
Did the republicans make that bill the first one out the gate or not??? Are republicans constantly squawkign about “deregulation” or not? Were the republicans “jobs bills” dismissed by most mainstream economists or not.
Of coooooooourse they were. Did you address those questions or not??? NOPE.
Dupppity ee dup duh dupe. Me not like your sources. You wrong, you bad.
I see the S&P 500 is set for another all time record today under the anti-business commie pinko Obama adminsitration. Is it also true the 2013 deficit fell to below that of the 2008 financial crisis?
♪That’s what I like about you… What I like ♫
But republicans built that right!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!
It seems the evil Obama’s plan to destroy America is slightly behind schedule.
According the teajesters America should have been nothing but ashes and smoldering ruins by now.
You’re kidding right? All three of these bills are meant to protect 501(c)(4)s. These funds are not for the average “taxpayers” and for him to try and pull the wool over is disgracefully dishonest. This is a tax evasion policy that allows corporations and the very wealthy to divert taxable income into questionable “non-profits” whic are a guise for political lobbyists.
Yeah, Bucky works for the common man, sure. Tell me another fairy tale.
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