{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=844818B8-AAE5-46D1-86B2-E81EF7047535", "Klobuchar, Cassidy Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Taxpayer Advocate Passes Senate, Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2026-09-30", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Bipartisan bill will help taxpayers resolve IRS problems\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released the statements below after the Senate unanimously passed their bipartisan National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act. The legislation strengthens the independence of the National Taxpayer Advocate by allowing the Advocate to hire and consult its own legal counsel rather than relying on attorneys who report to the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. The bipartisan legislation, which passed the House in 2025, now heads to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\n\n\u201cThe National Taxpayer Advocate plays a critical role in helping taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS, but currently the attorneys supporting that office are selected by the IRS Chief Counsel, undermining the Advocate\u2019s ability to provide fully independent advice and representation,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cOur bipartisan bill will ensure that the Advocate has the independence needed to effectively do its job by allowing its attorneys to report directly to the Advocate and owe their loyalty to taxpayers, not the IRS. This will help the Advocate stand up for taxpayers, assist our constituents, and improve our tax system, and I urge the President to swiftly sign this bill into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019re having to deal with the IRS, odds are, you\u2019re having difficulty doing so. This bill helps improve that experience for the honest taxpayer,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy.\n\nThe Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers resolve problems with the agency, identifies systemic problems taxpayers encounter in dealing with the IRS, and recommends administrative and legislative changes to address those problems. Currently, TAS attorneys report to the IRS Office of Chief Counsel rather than directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate. The National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act would allow the National Taxpayer Advocate to hire and consult its own attorneys, strengthening TAS\u2019s independence and its ability to advocate on behalf of taxpayers.\n\n###", 1, "2026-10-01T11:23:28Z", "2026-10-01T11:25:15Z"]], "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://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=844818B8-AAE5-46D1-86B2-E81EF7047535"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7888879626989365, "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"}