To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the release of information regarding the status of certain investigations.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5420) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the release of information regarding the status of certain investigations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in support of H.R. 5420. This bill, which I introduced, reforms the Tax Code's rules on information disclosures to victims of unauthorized disclosures.

In recent years, the IRS has leaked the confidential tax information of numerous groups: The National Organization for Marriage, Crossroads GPS, Americans for Responsible Leadership, Freedom Path, and others. Disclosing taxpayer information like this is a crime, but current law does not allow the victimized taxpayer to know anything of the status of the investigation into the leak.

H.R. 5420 fixes this by allowing victims of unauthorized disclosures to learn about the status of any investigations into their particular cases.

Additionally, some victims of IRS targeting were subject to the flagrant disclosure of their confidential tax information to the media. Yet these victims are not permitted access to any information about the progress on the investigation of these violations.

This bill provides certainty to taxpayers who have been victimized in this manner to inquire about the status of their investigations. It is a commonsense bill. It is a good reform.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend across the aisle. I think if only we could conduct business this way, it might all be good and we could solve a lot of problems, so I thank the gentleman.

This is, again, a commonsense reform, it came out of the investigation, I urge its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I support this legislation.

When a taxpayer makes a complaint regarding unlawful disclosure of information, current law does not permit the Treasury Department to provide the affected taxpayer with information concerning the status or resolution of the complaint.

Under the provision here, the enumerated circumstances in which taxpayer information may be lawfully disclosed by the Treasury Department would be expanded to include disclosure to certain complainants of information regarding the status and results of any investigation initiated by their complaint.

I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.