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Taxpayers Internet Assistance Act of 1998
To amend the Freedom of Information Act to provide electronic access to certain Internal Revenue Service information on the Internet, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service to make its records and documents available to the public through a searchable database on the Internet. IRS tax forms, instructions, and publications from the previous five years must be made available electronically at the same time they are released in printed form. The bill also directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the IRS Commissioner to conduct a study on using Internet technology to improve taxpayer services, including online access to taxpayer information, privacy protections, security measures, and public input. Within one year, the Treasury Department must report to Congress with recommendations for implementing online taxpayer services while ensuring quality, privacy, and security.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
4 cosponsors
- Sen. Ashcroft, John [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Sen. Moseley-Braun, Carol [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV] (D-NV)
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
Actions (4)
- Oct 13, 1998 Referred to Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, Government. · senate
- Apr 1, 1998 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary. · senate
- Apr 1, 1998 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2981)
- Apr 1, 1998 Introduced in Senate
More bills on these subjects (8)
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Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 1, 1998
Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Reid, and Mr. Wyden) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend the Freedom of Information Act to provide electronic access to certain Internal Revenue Service information on the Internet, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Taxpayers Internet Assistance Act of 1998”.
SEC. 2. INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE RECORDS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
(a) Internal Revenue Service Records Available on the Internet.— Section 552(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding after paragraph (6) the following:
“(7) The records of the Internal Revenue Service made available under paragraphs (1) and (2) created on or after November 1, 1996, and all Tax Forms, Instructions, and Publications created in the most recent 5-year period shall be made available electronically on the Internet in a searchable database not later than the date such records are made available to the public in printed form.”.
(b) Effective Date.—The amendment made by this section shall take effect 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT ON TAXPAYER ONLINE SERVICES.
(a) Study.—
(1) In general.—The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, shall conduct a study on how to use the technological advances of the Internet to provide more timely and effective service to taxpayers.
(2) Content.—The study conducted under this section shall include the review of—
(A) online access to taxpayer information;
(B) the protection of taxpayer privacy rights;
(C) the security of online taxpayer services;
(D) comments from the public on online taxpayer services; and
(E) estimates on the time and costs for implementing online taxpayer services after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the results of the study conducted under this section. Such report shall include recommendations on ensuring the quality, timeliness, privacy, and security of online taxpayer services and promoting public participation in the development of future online taxpayer services. <all>
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