FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Release #105-319
May 7, 1998

"Last fall, as many of you remember, the Senate Finance Committee held three days of hearings that revealed widespread problems at the Internal Revenue Service. When we began those hearings, Washington was skeptical. No one believed that the types of abuses that our hearings exposed really went on. The IRS called the cases anomalies.

"Outside the beltway, though, our hearings touched a nerve. My office alone heard from thousands of Americans who said that they had been mistreated at the hands of the IRS. Last fall, I told the witnesses at our hearings and all Americans who were watching, that I wanted those hearings to begin a process that led to necessary and lasting change to protect the taxpayer and create a better work environment for IRS employees.

"Tonight, the Senate has approved a bill that I believe will change the way the IRS does business. This bill will open the door to real restructuring and reform of an agency that for far too long has been allowed to operate in darkness.

"It will protect both taxpayers and employees against those inside the agency who have abused the awesome power of the IRS.

"It is built on three principles:

(1) Increasing oversight of the agency to prevent abuses;
(2) Holding IRS employees accountable for their actions and rewarding employees who treat the taxpayer fairly;
(3) Ensuring that taxpayers are treated with fairness by creating a whole new arsenal of taxpayer protections.

"Some have been critical of the amount of time it has taken to complete work on this bill. From the beginning, I made it very clear that I would not introduce a bill until I was satisfied that it would make effective and lasting reform to this agency. The bill that the Senate has approved tonight adds critically important provisions to the House bill, and I am confident that taxpayers will agree that it is well worth the wait.

"With this vote, the Senate tonight has made it clear that we are serious about reform -- serious about turning the IRS into an agency that has power sufficient enough to collect the appropriate amount of federal revenues -- but whose institutional culture is marked by service, efficiency, cooperation, and openness -- a culture where taxpayers and employees alike are protected from abuse, retaliation, and the kinds of nightmares we've disclosed these past months.

"For the thousands of taxpayers and employees across the country who have contacted my office in the past year, I thank you -- I laud your courage -- and let this bill be a demonstration that you have been heard. Congress is responding, and this bill is for you."