Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act
Latest action · Jan 23, 2017 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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.
- IntroducedJan 23, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act
This bill directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to establish a Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program (VITA grant program) for the development, expansion, or continuation of volunteer tax preparation programs to assist low-income taxpayers and members of underserved populations.
The program must be administered in the same manner as the Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance matching grants demonstration program established under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008.
The bill establishes the National Center to Promote Quality, Excellence, and Evaluation in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to:
- promote the adoption of a universally accessible volunteer training platform for the preparation of federal income tax returns,
- provide technical assistance to tax return preparation program managers,
- identify and disseminate best practices related to tax site management,
- support outreach and marketing efforts, and
- evaluate programs and activities funded under this bill.
The IRS must: (1) designate, through a competitive process, a lead national organization to carry out the purposes of the center; and (2) provide an annual grant to the organization. The lead national organization may provide subgrants to organizations to facilitate specialized technical assistance in reaching one or more underserved populations.
The bill amends the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 and the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to authorize several national service programs to provide tax preparation assistance for low-income and older individuals and families.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 2
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 Jan 23, 2017 |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Jan 23, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 23, 2017Introduced in House
- Jan 23, 2017Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 12, January 23, 2017, page H608.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 193 | Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act | Identical bill | Jan 23, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To facilitate nationwide availability of volunteer income tax assistance for low-income and underserved populations, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 23, 2017Introduced in House
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.
