{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://curbelo.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1798", "MEDIA ADVISORY: Tomorrow, United Way Miami-Dade to Testify at Ways and Means Hearing on Taxpayer Experience with the IRS", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Carlos Curbelo", "C001107", "curbelo.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tomorrow morning, the House Ways and Means Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Oversight will host a hearing on the taxpayer experience with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The hearing will include testimony from United Way Miami-Dade about their critical Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program work.\r\n\u00a0\r\nRepresentative Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), South Florida\u2019s only Member on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and the sponsor of the VITA Permanence Act, welcomed United Way Miami-Dade\u2019s participation in the hearing.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cWhile the leadership of the IRS has been the subject of controversy in recent years, the work done through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program must continue,\u201d Curbelo said. \u201cThe VITA program is critical for low-income Americans and ensures tax payers can confidently file returns without fear of being scammed by fraudulent preparers. I\u2019m grateful to have United Way Miami-Dade here tomorrow to discuss their work to help South Florida families keep more money in their pockets and their important role combatting the rampant identity fraud that is often regrettably found in South Florida.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cUnited Way Miami-Dade\u2019s VITA Coalition collaborates with partners across our community to provide low-income South Florida families with free tax preparation services and financial coaching,\u201d said Karina Ron, director of United Way Miami-Dade\u2019s Center for Financial Stability. \u201cWorking with a network of over 50 sites, our team works year-round to make sure South Florida\u2019s neediest families know where to turn to for answers to all their questions and how to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks in their pocket. We\u2019re grateful to Representative Curbelo and the Ways and Means Committee for the opportunity to have this important conversation and look forward to discussing the need for a strong VITA program.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nCurbelo has been a consistent advocate for the VITA program. Earlier this year, Curbelo introduced the \u201cVolunteer Income Tax Assistance Permanence Act of 2017,\u201d H.R. 2901, bipartisan legislation to permanently extend the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. He also led a group of 55 bipartisan Members of Congress\u00a0in a letter to urge House Appropriations leaders to provide full and robust funding for these programs. Curbelo also urged Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to protect funding for programs like VITA during a Ways and Means Committee hearing earlier this year.\r\n\u00a0\r\nThis hearing is open to credentialed press and will be live-streamed here.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWednesday, December 13, 2017\r\nWays and Means Committee Hearing on the Taxpayer Experience with the Internal Revenue Service\r\nApproximately\u00a010:00 a.m. ET\r\nWays and Means Committee Room\r\n1100 Longworth House Office Building", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://curbelo.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1798"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 6.290709134191275, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}