HR 4938 · 114th Congress 2015–2017, ended

Free File Act of 2016

Introduced Apr 14, 2016 Originated House Sponsor Peter J. Roskam R-IL

Latest action · Apr 14, 2016 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedApr 14, 2016
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Free File Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program.

The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to:

provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income;
provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and
work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services.

Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns.

The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to:

simplify the tax system,
reduce compliance and reporting burdens,
increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication,
strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration,
avoid duplication, and
maximize the use of electronic technology.

Cosponsors 172

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 14, 2016 to Dec 7, 2016; 63 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-IL	Adam Kinzinger	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-WA	Adam Smith	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-FL	Ander Crenshaw	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CA	Anna G. Eshoo	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-VA	Barbara Comstock	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-MI	Bill Huizenga	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-NJ	Bill Pascrell, Jr.	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-IL	Bobby L. Rush	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-KY	Brett Guthrie	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-NY	Charles B. Rangel	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-LA	Charles W. Boustany, Jr.	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NY	Chris Collins	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-WA	David G. Reichert	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TN	David P. Roe	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-FL	Dennis A. Ross	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-WA	Derek Kilmer	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TN	Diane Black	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-VA	Donald S. Beyer, Jr.	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-KY	Ed Whitfield	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-AR	Eric A. "Rick" Crawford	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-MN	Erik Paulsen	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-NC	G. K. Butterfield	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NC	George Holding	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CT	James A. Himes	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-OH	James B. Renacci	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-RI	James R. Langevin	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CO	Jared Polis	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-SC	Jeff Duncan	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-SC	Joe Wilson	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CT	John B. Larson	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-NY	Joseph Crowley	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CA	Judy Chu	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TX	K. Michael Conaway	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-CA	Ken Calvert	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TX	Kenny Marchant	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CA	Linda T. Sánchez	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CA	Lucille Roybal-Allard	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-KS	Lynn Jenkins	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-FL	Mario Diaz-Balart	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NV	Mark E. Amodei	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TN	Marsha Blackburn	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TX	Michael C. Burgess	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-SC	Mick Mulvaney	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-PA	Mike Kelly	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-CA	Mike Thompson	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-OH	Patrick J. Tiberi	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NC	Patrick T. McHenry	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TX	Pete Sessions	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-IL	Randy Hultgren	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-MA	Richard E. Neal	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NC	Richard Hudson	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-OH	Robert E. Latta	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NC	Robert Pittenger	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-WI	Ron Kind	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TN	Stephen Lee Fincher	Original	Apr 14, 2016
D-TN	Steve Cohen	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-AR	Steve Womack	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-OK	Tom Cole	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-GA	Tom Price	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-FL	Vern Buchanan	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-NC	Virginia Foxx	Original	Apr 14, 2016
R-TX	Bill Flores		Apr 21, 2016
R-VA	J. Randy Forbes		Apr 21, 2016
R-TX	Jeb Hensarling		Apr 21, 2016
D-MI	John Conyers, Jr.		Apr 21, 2016
R-AZ	Trent Franks		Apr 21, 2016
R-VA	Bob Goodlatte		Apr 29, 2016
R-FL	Daniel Webster		Apr 29, 2016
R-CA	Devin Nunes		Apr 29, 2016
R-GA	Lynn A. Westmoreland		Apr 29, 2016
R-MO	Blaine Luetkemeyer		May 12, 2016
R-AL	Bradley Byrne		May 12, 2016
R-IL	Darin LaHood		May 12, 2016
R-CA	Duncan Hunter		May 12, 2016
R-WI	F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.		May 12, 2016
R-OH	Steve Stivers		May 12, 2016
R-FL	Thomas J. Rooney		May 12, 2016
R-KY	Andy Barr		May 17, 2016
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		May 17, 2016
R-NY	Tom Reed		May 17, 2016
R-TX	Blake Farenthold		May 26, 2016
R-NC	Mark Meadows		May 26, 2016
R-IL	Robert J. Dold		May 26, 2016
R-WA	Dan Newhouse		Jun 7, 2016
R-OK	Frank D. Lucas		Jun 7, 2016
D-CA	Jim Costa		Jun 7, 2016
D-CA	Julia Brownley		Jun 7, 2016
R-IN	Larry Bucshon		Jun 7, 2016
R-NY	Richard L. Hanna		Jun 7, 2016
R-IL	Rodney Davis		Jun 7, 2016
R-GA	Tom Graves		Jun 7, 2016
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren		Jun 7, 2016
D-NY	Hakeem S. Jeffries		Jun 14, 2016
R-AR	J. French Hill		Jun 14, 2016
R-MI	Mike Bishop		Jun 14, 2016
R-NY	Peter T. King		Jun 14, 2016
R-GA	Rick W. Allen		Jun 14, 2016
D-MS	Bennie G. Thompson		Jun 28, 2016
D-FL	Corrine Brown		Jun 28, 2016
D-MI	Debbie Dingell		Jun 28, 2016
D-CA	Eric Swalwell		Jun 28, 2016
R-MN	John Kline		Jun 28, 2016
D-NY	Louise McIntosh Slaughter		Jun 28, 2016
R-TX	Michael T. McCaul		Jun 28, 2016
R-IN	Todd Young		Jun 28, 2016
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		Jun 28, 2016
R-WV	David B. McKinley		Jul 5, 2016
R-AL	Mike Rogers		Jul 5, 2016
R-AR	Bruce Westerman		Jul 13, 2016
R-GA	Earl L. "Buddy" Carter		Jul 13, 2016
R-TX	Randy Neugebauer		Jul 13, 2016
R-MI	Tim Walberg		Jul 13, 2016
D-WA	Denny Heck		Jul 14, 2016
R-OR	Greg Walden		Jul 14, 2016
R-GA	Jody B. Hice		Jul 14, 2016
R-IL	John Shimkus		Jul 14, 2016
D-OR	Kurt Schrader		Jul 14, 2016
R-UT	Mia B. Love		Jul 14, 2016
R-VA	Robert Hurt		Jul 14, 2016
D-CA	Barbara Lee		Sep 6, 2016
D-MD	C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger		Sep 6, 2016
D-NY	Gregory W. Meeks		Sep 6, 2016
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.		Sep 6, 2016
D-CA	Jackie Speier		Sep 6, 2016
R-MO	Jason Smith		Sep 6, 2016
D-OH	Joyce Beatty		Sep 6, 2016
D-CA	Lois Capps		Sep 6, 2016
R-TX	Mac Thornberry		Sep 6, 2016
R-WI	Reid J. Ribble		Sep 6, 2016
R-MO	Sam Graves		Sep 6, 2016
R-PA	Scott Perry		Sep 6, 2016
D-TX	Sheila Jackson Lee		Sep 6, 2016
D-WA	Suzan K. DelBene		Sep 6, 2016
R-NC	Walter B. Jones		Sep 6, 2016
D-MO	Wm. Lacy Clay		Sep 6, 2016
D-TX	Eddie Bernice Johnson		Sep 9, 2016
R-FL	Jeff Miller		Sep 9, 2016
D-KY	John A. Yarmuth		Sep 9, 2016
R-TX	John Abney Culberson		Sep 9, 2016
D-MD	John K. Delaney		Sep 9, 2016
R-VA	Robert J. Wittman		Sep 9, 2016
D-CA	Sam Farr		Sep 9, 2016
R-WA	Cathy McMorris Rodgers		Sep 22, 2016
R-CA	David G. Valadao		Sep 22, 2016
R-IA	David Young		Sep 22, 2016
R-PA	Patrick Meehan		Sep 22, 2016
R-MO	Ann Wagner		Sep 26, 2016
R-MO	Billy Long		Sep 26, 2016
R-FL	Carlos Curbelo		Sep 26, 2016
D-LA	Cedric L. Richmond		Sep 26, 2016
R-OH	David P. Joyce		Sep 26, 2016
D-FL	Alcee L. Hastings		Nov 15, 2016
R-TX	Brian Babin		Nov 15, 2016
R-UT	Chris Stewart		Nov 15, 2016
D-IL	Danny K. Davis		Nov 15, 2016
R-CA	Darrell Issa		Nov 15, 2016
R-FL	David W. Jolly		Nov 15, 2016
D-MO	Emanuel Cleaver		Nov 15, 2016
D-FL	Frederica S. Wilson		Nov 15, 2016
R-MS	Gregg Harper		Nov 15, 2016
R-NY	John Katko		Nov 15, 2016
R-TX	Lamar Smith		Nov 15, 2016
R-IN	Luke Messer		Nov 15, 2016
R-TX	Pete Olson		Nov 15, 2016
D-GA	Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.		Nov 15, 2016
D-CA	Ted Lieu		Nov 15, 2016
R-SC	Tom Rice		Nov 15, 2016
D-NC	Alma S. Adams		Nov 30, 2016
D-OH	Marcia L. Fudge		Nov 30, 2016
D-TX	Marc A. Veasey		Dec 7, 2016

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Ways and Means Committee	Referred Apr 14, 2016

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

Apr 14, 2016Introduced in House
Apr 14, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, which states ``The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes,'' and Article I, Section 7, which states ``All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 57, April 14, 2016, page H1736.

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To make permanent the Internal Revenue Service Free File program.
Short Titles as Introduced: Free File Act of 2016

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Apr 14, 2016Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.