ADVISORY

FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT

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.