{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221023027/http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=348093&", "Effort to crackdown on theft of tax refunds gains momentum", "2013-11-20", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Bill Nelson", "N000032", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Effort to crackdown on theft of tax refunds gains momentum                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tNovember 20, 2013\n\t\t\t\t\n                \n\t\t\t\t  \tWASHINGTON, D.C. - A new tax-reform proposal that the head of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee issued today includes measures aimed at stopping the dramatic increase in ID thieves stealing tax refunds. The identity theft measures are based on legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and are part of a broader tax-reform initiative from Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat. The overall goal of Baucus\u2019s proposal is to simplify the country\u2019s current tax system that\u2019s become riddled with loopholes for special interests and corporations. \u201cIt's encouraging the chairman recognizes the importance of dealing with ID theft,\" Nelson said today.\u00a0 \"Too many taxpayers are having their tax refunds swiped by identity thieves.\" While it's encouraging that renewed emphasis is being placed on Nelson's legislation, the prospects for passage of the broader tax plan in a divided Congress remain uncertain. \u201cJust trying to make something happen by taking the initiative,\u201d Baucus has told reporters. Nelson first got involved in the issue of tax-related identity theft two years ago after hearing numerous complaints from Florida taxpayers, mainly in Tampa and Orlando, who fell victim to the scheme.\u00a0 The Florida Democrat held two hearings in the Senate Finance subcommittee he chaired to investigate the issue, then prepared and filed bipartisan legislation to try to deter identity theft by increasing the penalties imposed on criminals caught filing fraudulent tax returns using someone else\u2019s identity. Nelson\u2019s measures, as included in the tax-reform proposal unveiled today, would:     \t  \t\tRequire the IRS to establish a single point-of-contact for victims  \t  \t\tCreate new penalties for anyone who misuses another person\u2019s identity to receive a fraudulent refund. The fraudster could be fined up to $250,000 and sent to prison for up to 5 years.  \t  \t\tEstablish procedures to accelerate information matching, so the IRS can catch attempts at fraud before the tax refund is sent out.  \t  \t\tProtect the personal information of deceased Americans, which is currently released to the public on a weekly basis by the Social Security Administration.  \t  \t\tRequire an examination of the IRS\u2019s current Identity Theft PIN program and the feasibility of its expansion. The IRS Identity Theft PIN program protects individuals who have been victimized by identity thieves, ensuring that only tax returns with the PIN are accepted by the IRS.      ###", 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://web.archive.org/web/20140221023027/http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=348093&"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8834898471832275, "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"}