ADVISORYFROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANSSUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHTFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 24, 2003 OV-8 | CONTACT: (202) 225-7601 |
Houghton Announces Request for Written Comments on H.R. 3625, the “Department of the Treasury Inspector General Consolidation Act of 2003"Congressman Amo Houghton (R-NY),
Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, today
announced that the Subcommittee is requesting written comments for the record
from all parties interested in H.R. 3625,the “Department of the
Treasury Inspector General Consolidation Act of 2003.” This bill, introduced
by Representative Rob Portman (R-OH), will consolidate the two existing
Inspector General offices at the Department of the U.S. Treasury - the Office
of Inspector General of the Treasury (OIG) and the Office of the Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) – into a new office called the
Office of the Treasury Inspector General (TIG).
BACKGROUND:
In 1988, Congress created OIG. In
1998, Congress, as part of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Restructuring and
Reform Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-206), created a second Inspector General at
Treasury – the TIGTA.
With the creation of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) one year ago, there have been significant
downsizes at the Treasury Department. The U.S. Customs Service, the U.S.
Secret Service, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and most of the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were moved to DHS and the U.S. Department
of Justice (DOJ). As a result, a substantial portion of OIG’s budget and
responsibilities also were transferred to DHS and DOJ.
In
order to maximize efficiencies and effectiveness, and to eliminate duplication,
the President, in his fiscal year 2004 budget, recommended that OIG and TIGTA
be merged into a new single entity, which would have the same powers and
authorities as its predecessors have under current law. Treasury Secretary
John W. Snow said in a recent letter to Representative Bill Thomas (R-CA),
Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, the IRS now constitutes 87 percent
of the remaining personnel resources at the Treasury. Having a separate
Inspector General for the remaining 13 percent is no longer the correct
structure for effective oversight of either the Department, or the IRS. . . .
I strongly believe that this merger will result in better, more efficient
oversight, not only for the IRS, but for the entire Department.”
In announcing this request for
comments, Chairman Houghton stated, “I have to believe that a single Inspector
General at Treasury would give the Department the tools it needs to operate
efficiently and effectively. I look forward to hearing from those who are
interested in H.R. 3625.”
Rep. Portman added, “As the sponsor
of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act, I believe that the Department of the
Treasury Inspector General Consolidation Act of 2003 will continue the
comprehensive reform and oversight improvements at IRS that have occurred over
the past 5 years.”
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to
submit written comments for the record should send it electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov, along
with a fax copy to (202) 225–2610, by close of business, Friday, December 19, 2003. Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S.
Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a
witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or
any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform
to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance
with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the
Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and
any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov,
along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in Word Perfect or MS Word format and
MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are
advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the
official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will
not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced
and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these
specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by
the Committee.
3. Any statements must include a list of all clients, persons, or
organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. A supplemental sheet must
accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax
numbers of each witness.
Note: All Committee
advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at
http://waysandmeans.house.gov.
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