Field hearings on Ohioans targeted by the IRS

Press release:

Chairman Mike Dovilla Announces Field Hearing on Ohioans Targeted By Internal Revenue Service

State Representative Mike Dovilla (R–Berea) today announced the House Policy and Legislative Oversight Committee will conduct a field hearing on Ohioans targeted by the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status based on political leanings. The committee hearing will take place on Thursday, July 25, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services.

BACKGROUND:

On May 28, 2013, State Representatives Terry Johnson (R–McDermott) and Dale Mallory (D–Cincinnati) introduced House Concurrent Resolution 27 to urge the IRS to take immediate action to correct its policies and cease targeting organizations applying for tax-exempt status based on the organization's political affiliation. News reports since the introduction of H.C.R. 27 have identified numerous Ohioans who were targeted by the IRS.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Dovilla said, “The U.S. Constitution and the Ohio Constitution provide Ohioans with the right peaceably to assemble and petition their government. It is unacceptable and appalling that government personnel would seek to harass ordinary citizens and the groups which they formed in order to prevent their full participation in our democratic republic.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on Ohioans who were discriminated against by the Internal Revenue Service’s Cincinnati Field Office based on the political leanings inferred from IRS forms.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Any individual or group that wishes to testify must submit written comments for the hearing record to rep07@ohiohouse.gov. All submissions must be in either Microsoft Word or PDF. At the conclusion of the hearing process, comments from Ohioans will be submitted to the Ohio Congressional Delegation.

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