Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Benefits Fraud Tax Data Sharing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee introduces RS 31795 to allow tax-data sharing for benefit-fraud investigations
Summary
The House Health and Welfare Committee voted to introduce RS 31795, which would authorize the Department of Health and Welfare to enter a memorandum of understanding with the State Tax Commission to receive tax return information — including adjusted gross income — to investigate suspected benefits fraud.
At its meeting, the House Health and Welfare Committee introduced RS 31,795, a draft proposal that would add a subsection to the benefits-fraud code authorizing the Department of Health and Welfare to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the State Tax Commission to receive tax information for investigating suspected fraudulent receipt of public benefits.
Jared Larson, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Chief at the Department of Health and Welfare, told the committee the measure would allow the department to obtain tax information showing adjusted gross income from the Tax Commission when investigators have reason to suspect a recipient committed benefits fraud. "Adjusted gross income would be found on the tax information found at the commission and it would significantly relieve the burden on investigating suspected fraud," Larson said.
Larson said the department currently uses subpoenas for bank records to assemble income information for eligibility reviews, a process he described as "pretty intrusive" and one that is not always effective when financial institutions are located outside the state. He said the department has been working on the proposal for about two years and that the Tax Commission "does not have any objection" to the memorandum-of-understanding approach.
Representative Fuhrman agreed to sponsor the RS if it is printed, Larson said. Committee members posed only procedural or technical comments during the discussion: Representative Redmond moved to introduce the RS; Representative Wheeler seconded. Representative Wheeler pointed out a minor grammatical issue in the draft; Larson acknowledged the typo and said it would be corrected. Representative Grama suggested one wording change in the fiscal note. Representative Rubel asked whether correcting typographical errors would require a separate motion; the chair responded that the internal statement of purpose (SOP) language can be edited and the RS may be introduced with the typographical corrections made later.
The committee approved the motion to introduce RS 31,795 by voice vote. The chair announced the RS was introduced. The committee adjourned after a brief wrap-up in which members were reminded to submit any other RSs they wished the committee to consider.
No formal numeric roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript; committee action was recorded as a voice vote that passed.
