PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 25, 2012
Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a criminal penalty on any person who willfully misappropriates another person's taxpayer identity, (2) increase the penalty for unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information by paid tax preparers, (3) require the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to submit to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance an annual report detailing the number of reports of tax fraud and suspected tax fraud received from state and local law enforcement agencies and actions taken in response to such reports, and (4) make permanent the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose information about federal or state prison inmates who may have filed or facilitated the filing of false or fraudulent tax returns and to allow disclosures of such information to contractors responsible for the operation of a federal or state prison.
Directs the Secretary to implement an identity theft tax fraud prevention program that provides for a unique personal identification number (PIN) on tax returns.
Authorizes the Commissioner to transfer appropriated funds to be used solely to prevent and resolve potential tax fraud cases.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Directs the Commissioner to establish in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the position of Local Law Enforcement Liaison to coordinate the investigation of tax fraud with state and local law enforcement agencies.
Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to study and report on the role of prepaid debit cards and commercial tax preparation software in facilitating fraudulent tax returns through identity theft.
Prohibits the Secretary of Commerce from disclosing information contained on the Death Master File relating to a deceased individual to persons who are not certified to access such information.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) establish and implement procedures to eliminate the unnecessary collection, use, and display of Social Security account numbers of Medicare beneficiaries; (2) ensure that newly-issued Medicare identification cards meet certain security standards; and (3) establish a pilot program to evaluate the applicability of smart card technology to Medicare beneficiaries or providers and whether such cards would be effective in preventing Medicare fraud.
People & committees
Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL] · D–FL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze S.3432 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.3432 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.3432 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.3432 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.