,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ecaa ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #bj1 #bjbb,mr4 ,portman 7for himself and ,mr4 ,cardin7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to reform the resources available to the ,internal ,revenue ,service1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,irs ,customer ,service and ,transformation ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to address processing backlogs with respect to income tax returns and improve taxpayer services1 including by-- 7#a7 establishing customer service and technology modernization objectives1 allowing for hiring flexibility1 and providing taxpayer support2 7#b7 modernizing information technology to effectively upgrade and integrate ,internal ,revenue ,service systems1 provide additional electronic forms and filing1 and enhance digital taxpayer services2 and 7#c7 conducting research on how the ,internal ,revenue ,service can support taxpayers1 increase compliance1 and increase the efficiency of ,internal ,revenue ,service activities through the use of improved methods and technology4 #c4 ,improving customer service and technology at the ,internal ,revenue ,service 7a7 ,multi-,year operational plan 7#a7 ,initial plan ,not later than #f months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,commissioner of ,internal ,revenue shall submit to ,congress a plan detailing how the ,commissioner intends to meet customer service and technology modernization objectives1 modernize information technology1 and implement improved methods and technology to support taxpayers and increase the efficiency of ,internal ,revenue ,service tax return and correspondence processing1 including a specific timeline and detailed description of which elements of the ,taxpayer ,first ,act ,report 7as submitted to ,congress on ,january #a1 #bjba7 would be implemented and the amount and source of any funding required4 7#b7 ,semiannual updates ,not later than the date that is #ah months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and semiannually for the next #aj years thereafter1 the ,commissioner of ,internal ,revenue shall submit to ,congress a report on the plan established under paragraph 7#a71 including-- 7,a7 any updates to the plan2 7,b7 progress made in implementing the plan2 and 7,c7 any changes in circumstances or challenges in implementing the plan4 7#c7 ,reports by ,government ,accountability ,office ,for each calendar year after #bjbb and before #bjcb1 the ,comptroller ,general shall report to the ,committees on ,finance1 ,appropriations1 and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate1 and to the ,committees on ,ways and ,means1 ,appropriations1 and ,government ,reform and ,oversight of the ,house of ,representatives1 with respect to-- 7,a7 strategic and business plans for the ,internal ,revenue ,service2 7,b7 progress of the ,internal ,revenue ,service in meeting its objectives2 7,c7 the budget for the ,internal ,revenue ,service and whether it supports its objectives2 7,d7 progress of the ,internal ,revenue ,service in improving taxpayer service and compliance2 7,e7 progress of the ,internal ,revenue ,service on technology modernization2 7,f7 the status and progress of processing backlogs for taxpayer returns and correspondence2 and 7,g7 the status and progress of plan described in paragraph 7#a74 7b7 ,customer service and electronic filing requirements 7#a7 ,customer service 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than ,january #a1 #bjbe1 the ,internal ,revenue ,service shall1 to the extent possible-- 7i7 with respect to level-of-service measures 7including all communication channels1 such as phones and secure messaging7 for wait-and-response times 7as determined based on data for the most recently completed #c-year period71 attain not less than #ij percent level-of-service2 7ii7 employ callback service on not less than #ie percent of telephone calls made by taxpayers which are not answered within #c minutes2 7iii7 process all taxpayer correspondence not later than #de days following the date of receipt2 and 7iv7 develop and deploy technology for secure communication with taxpayers through e-mail1 secure messaging1 text messages1 video teleconferencing1 or other similar technologies4 7,b7 ,adjustment 7i7 ,in general ,the requirements described in clauses 7i7 and 7ii7 of subparagraph 7,a7 may be adjusted1 as appropriate1 for aberrations affecting call volume1 regulatory and procedural accuracy1 professionalism1 timeliness1 and customer service satisfaction4 7ii7 ,report ,in the case of any adjustment described in clause 7i71 the ,commissioner of ,internal ,revenue shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives with respect to-- 7,i7 the reason that the requirement described in clause 7i7 or 7ii7 of subparagraph 7,a7 was adjusted2 and 7,,ii7 the relevant aberration requiring such adjustment4 7#b7 ,electronic forms and filing 7,a7 ,forms ,not later than ,january #a1 #bjbf1 any forms used by the ,internal ,revenue ,service which are made available to the public shall-- 7i7 bear a code that1 when scanned1 converts such form to electronic format 7or which is functionally similar or applies more up-to-date technology72 7ii7 allow for optical character recognition software 7or functionally similar technology7 to transcribe all paper returns which do not contain the technology described in clause 7i72 and 7iii7 be permitted to be filed electronically within #ij days of release1 including-- 7,i7 automated translation of such forms into other languages2 and 7,,ii7 establishment of secure digital signature technology4 7,b7 ,digitization of forms ,not later than ,january #a1 #bjbf1 ,internal ,revenue ,service ,forms #ida1 #ajdj1 #ajdj,x1 #ajfe1 #aabj1 and any other such form which is identified by the ,secretary of the ,treasury or the ,secretary's delegate 7including any successor form71 shall contain the most up-to-date technology which allows for the conversion of paper-filed returns to an electronic format4 #d4 ,counsel in the ,office of the ,taxpayer ,advocate 7a7 ,in general ,section #ghjc7;c77#b77;,d77i7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7#a7 in subclause 7,i71 by striking and at the end1 7#b7 in subclause 7,,ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and1 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,,iii7 appoint counsel in the ,office of the ,taxpayer ,advocate to report directly to the ,national ,taxpayer ,advocate4 4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this section is to conform to the intent of the ,internal ,revenue ,service ,restructuring and ,reform ,act of #aiih 7,public ,law #aje-bjf71 as set forth in the joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying ,conference ,report #aje-eii1 that the ,national ,taxpayer ,advocate be able to hire and consult counsel as appropriate4