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H.R. 4938 · 114th Congress

Free File Act of 2016

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IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 114th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

PRR RoskamSponsor
172 cosponsors · 60 D, 112 R
MAR Amodei MBR Blackburn MBR Burgess GKD Butterfield CBR Boustany VBR Buchanan DBR Black DBD Beyer KCR Calvert JCD Crowley ACR Crenshaw TCR Cole KCR Conaway SCD Cohen GCD Connolly JCD Chu RCR Crawford CCR Collins BCR Comstock MDR Diaz-Balart JDR Duncan AED Eshoo VFR Foxx SFR Fincher BGR Guthrie JHD Himes BHR Huizenga RHR Hultgren GHR Holding RHR Hudson LJR Jenkins RKD Kind MKR Kelly AKR Kinzinger DKD Kilmer JLD Larson JLD Langevin RLR Latta PMR McHenry KMR Marchant MMR Mulvaney RND Neal BPD Pascrell TPR Price EPR Paulsen JPD Polis RPR Pittenger CRD Rangel LRD Roybal-Allard BRD Rush DRR Reichert PRR Roe JRR Renacci DRR Ross PSR Sessions ASD Smith ASD Schiff LSD Sánchez MTD Thompson PTR Tiberi EWR Whitfield JWR Wilson SWR Womack JCD Conyers JFR Forbes TFR Franks BFR Flores JHR Hensarling BGR Goodlatte DNR Nunes LWR Westmoreland DWR Webster BBR Byrne DHR Hunter BLR Luetkemeyer DLR LaHood TRR Rooney FSR Sensenbrenner SSR Stivers ABR Barr SPD Peters TRR Reed BDR Dold BFR Farenthold MMR Meadows LBR Bucshon JBD Brownley JCD Costa RDR Davis TGR Graves RHR Hanna ZLD Lofgren FLR Lucas DNR Newhouse RAR Allen MBR Bishop JHR Hill HJD Jeffries PKR King CBD Brown TCD Cárdenas DDD Dingell JKR Kline MMR McCaul LSD Slaughter ESD Swalwell BTD Thompson TYR Young DMR McKinley MRR Rogers BCR Carter RNR Neugebauer TWR Walberg BWR Westerman RHR Hurt DHD Heck JHR Hice MLR Love JSR Shimkus KSD Schrader GWR Walden JBD Beatty LCD Capps WCD Clay SDD DelBene SGR Graves SJD Jackson Lee WJR Jones HJD Johnson BLD Lee GMD Meeks SPR Perry CRD Ruppersberger RRR Ribble JSD Speier JSR Smith MTR Thornberry JCR Culberson JDD Delaney SFD Farr EJD Johnson JMR Miller RWR Wittman JYD Yarmuth CMR McMorris Rodgers PMR Meehan DVR Valadao DYR Young CCR Curbelo DJR Joyce BLR Long CRD Richmond AWR Wagner SBD Bishop BBR Babin ECD Cleaver DDD Davis AHD Hastings GHR Harper DIR Issa DJR Jolly JKR Katko TLD Lieu LMR Messer POR Olson TRR Rice LSR Smith CSR Stewart FWD Wilson AAD Adams MFD Fudge MVD Veasey

63 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Apr 14, 2016

Free File Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue to operate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Free File Program.

The program must work with state government agencies to enhance and expand the use of the program, while continuing to:

  • provide free commercial-type online individual income tax preparation and electronic filing services to the lowest 70% of taxpayers by income;
  • provide all taxpayers (regardless of income) with a basic, online electronic fillable forms utility; and
  • work with the private sector to provide the free tax preparation and electronic filing services.

Treasury must work with the private sector through the program to identify and implement innovative new program features to improve and simplify the taxpayer's experience with completing and filing individual income tax returns.

The IRS and members of the tax software and electronic industry involved in the program must support and promote improvements within the program by mutually testing, piloting, and offering innovative solutions to:

  • simplify the tax system,
  • reduce compliance and reporting burdens,
  • increase tax return accuracy through financial data authentication,
  • strengthen the tax system against fraud through cybersecurity collaboration,
  • avoid duplication, and
  • maximize the use of electronic technology.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Free File Act of 2016

Latest action (Apr 14, 2016): Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Policy area: Taxation · Origin: House · Introduced: Apr 14, 2016

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.