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IRS Reform Bill Skates Through House
[INLINE]
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 5) -- A bill to reform the Internal Revenue Service skated through the House of Representatives today on an overwhelming 426-4 vote.
The measure picked up the support of Democrats after its sponsors made key changes that drew the approval of the Clinton Administration.
The most significant change would preserve the president's power to appoint the IRS commissioner. The original version of the bill would have transferred that duty to an independent board.
The bill's centerpiece is an 11-member board made up mostly of private citizens that would oversee the IRS and help manage its long-term projects.
Bill sponsor Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said the measure marked "the first time in 45 years that we have attempted as a Congress to enact fundamental reform."