Drive Act-Please Write your Congressperson
Democrats Abroad has written to Congressional leaders and key regulators seeking the suspension of the enactment of a provision in the 2015 highway bill, known as the DRIVE (Developing Roadway Infrastructure for a Vibrant Economy) Act, that would empower the IRS to request that the State Department revoke, or deny the renewal of, the passport of US citizens with a tax debt in excess of $50,000. Read our letter to Congress here.
This policy clearly poses grave concerns for Americans abroad, who rely on their passports far more heavily than Americans living in the US. This policy idea has been around for many years and has, unsuccessfully, been introduced into other pieces of legislation. We are working hard to have it stripped out of the DRIVE bill as well by outlining the following concerns:
This policy has been introduced without consultation with Americans abroad.
The IRS has a record of communicating poorly with Americans abroad, has closed its overseas offices and has suffered service lapses due to cuts in its funding.
We seek confirmation that there will be safeguards in place to prevent Americans abroad targeted by this proposed law from having their passports withdrawn with no warning and no due process.
We have asked that the provision be removed from the bill pending consultation with the overseas community. Our concerns must be heard before the law is passed and certainly before the regulations for implementing the law are drafted. We would like to examine the provisions the IRS and the State Department draft that guarantee due process for taxpayers subjected to the law. And we will also ask for a restoration of resources and services outside of the US for Americans abroad.
Our letter (attached to this page) has been faxed, posted and emailed to the leaders of the House and the Committees negotiating the highway bill, in addition to others who should understand our position. Our follow up phone calls have confirmed that it has reached the leaders driving the process. We will, in collaboration with our colleague organizations representing Americans abroad, continue to push for recognition of our concerns and recommendations.
Flawed policy proposals like this find their way into bills because there is no process for legislation to be assessed for the impact on Americans abroad. HR3078 is a bill moved by Americans Abroad Caucus Co-Chair Carolyn Maloney in the 114th Congress that will establish a Commission on Americans Abroad. The Commission will analyze policies that impact Americans abroad and recommend reforms to address any issues or inequities. Democrats Abroad is actively advocating in support of HR3078.
Further, we Americans abroad need to make ourselves more visible, as a voting block, to our elected officials. We must vote. We must vote from abroad in every election that our voting states permit. And we must identify ourselves as overseas voters to our family, friends and colleagues to promote the importance of our constituency, our voice and our votes.
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