{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://houlahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4308", "Houlahan Receives Re-Opening Plan from IRS After Demanding Answers on Reading Office Closure", "2024-10-22", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Chrissy Houlahan", "H001085", "houlahan.house.gov", "houlahan", "https://houlahan.house.gov/press/documentquery.aspx", "page_html", "READING, PA \u2013 Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) announced that the Internal Revenue Service shared a re-opening plan for its Reading, PA Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) that has been closed since early July. The TAC is currently open for taxpayer services three days a week and, starting December 30, the IRS expects it will resume full five-day service.\n\nIn July, Houlahan sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel sharing her concern about the extended closure of the Taxpayer Assistance Center in Reading. This center, located just one floor below Houlahan\u2019s own district office, provides vital services and accessibility to her constituents in Pennsylvania\u2019s Sixth Congressional District.\n\nIn her letter, Houlahan emphasized the importance of the Reading TAC to the community and the need for in-person services for people who cannot access tax law assistance over the phone. \u201cAs you know, in-person services are critical for disadvantaged, older, or disabled individuals who may be unable to access these services online or over the phone. In-person assistance is especially necessary in the City of Reading, where the poverty rate is 29.4% and nearly 20% of residents live with a disability. I urge you to re-open the Reading TAC as soon as possible,\u201d wrote Houlahan.\n\nIn September, Houlahan received a response from Commissioner Werfel, who stated that the closure occurred due to the attrition of two employees. Werfel also shared that the IRS was enlisting the help of employee volunteers to resume three-day service until the office is fully staffed and the agency\u2019s commitment to opening the office as soon as feasibly possible. \u201cI appreciate Commissioner Werfel\u2019s response and transparency regarding the center's re-opening. I am grateful that my letter brought eyes, attention, and prioritization to the importance of the in-person Taxpayer Assistance Center in Reading,\u201d said Houlahan.\n\nAdditionally, members of Houlahan\u2019s team have met with IRS staff on multiple occasions to discuss the center's re-opening. The recent updates from the IRS are as follows:\n\nA temporary employee is present at the Reading TAC to meet with taxpayers three days a week. Hours of operation are Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.", 1, "2026-04-08T14:14:11Z", "2026-04-08T14:23:06Z"]], "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://houlahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4308"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7133159562945366, "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"}