Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), who is the sponsor of this legislation. Mr. LaHood, as the chairman of our Work and Welfare Subcommittee, has been a tireless champion for America's foster youth and a leader in advancing these long overdue reforms.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7432, the Fostering the Future Act, bipartisan legislation led by my Ways and Means Committee colleagues, Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood, and Congresswoman Gwen Moore. This is a historic moment for this committee and this House. What we have before us is the first comprehensive modernization of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood since its creation in 1999, nearly three decades ago. Foster youth are one of the most vulnerable populations in our country. Before I came to Congress, I served as an attorney for neglected and abused children and have seen firsthand the challenges so many of these youth face. Every year, nearly 16,000 foster youth age out of the system. Nearly 35 percent experience homelessness by age 21, and 70 percent are expectant or parenting by age 21, double the national average. Only 56 percent obtain full- or part-time employment, and possibly as few as 69 percent earn a high school diploma or GED. This is a system in desperate need of attention and reform. Today, we are giving our Nation's foster youth a fighting chance at independence in adulthood. Following committee hearings and direct consultation with youth who spoke about their personal and real-world experiences, the Ways and Means Committee thoughtfully wrote these reforms designed to improve outcomes for our Nation's transitioning foster youth. I want to give special thanks to our Nation's First Lady, Melania Trump, who has been an outstanding champion for foster youth through her Fostering the Future initiative. Truly, she is a voice for the voiceless. Last month, our committee sat down for a roundtable with the First Lady and foster youth leaders who have actually lived through this system. I am proud that this bill codifies key priorities from the Fostering the Future of American Children and Families executive order championed by the First Lady, ensuring that these reforms are here to stay. In direct response to the feedback raised by foster youth, including Seth, a 21-year-old from my district in Missouri, this bill improves connections to housing programs so foster youth aren't left to age out onto the streets. Chairman LaHood, a longtime leader on expanding access to housing, and Representative Gwen Moore championed this provision to ensure housing stability remains in reach for young adults during a very vulnerable time as they transition to independence. We also incorporated the feedback of Jaydan, a former foster youth from Texas, who spoke at our roundtable about the importance of increasing the value of the education and training voucher. Thanks to the leadership of another Texan, Representative Moran, and Representative Chu, foster youth will now have greater academic support when pursuing a postsecondary education. The Fostering the Future Act expands flexibility in Chafee's education and training voucher program, with feedback from youth like Kimberley in Missouri and Raven in Ohio, so young people can pursue short-term workforce programs and apprenticeship opportunities to earn a high-paying job or receive remedial education to earn their high school diploma, reforms prioritized by Representatives Max Miller from Ohio and Dwight Evans from Pennsylvania. Youth who age out of the child welfare system often lack permanent connections to family and face unique barriers that can make transitioning into independence difficult. We heard directly from a foster youth from Chairman LaHood and Ranking Member Davis' home State of Illinois, Jocelyn Fettering, who shared with us at our roundtable the importance of improving access to legal services. To break down further barriers, we have included a thoughtful initiative from Representatives Yakym and Davis to connect expectant and parenting foster youth with evidence-based maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting services. Representative Yakym is building directly upon the great work of his predecessor, the late Jackie Walorski, leveraging existing resources to help these young adults build healthy, stable families. Finally, a provision led by Representatives Mike Carey and Gwen Moore updates the core mission of the Chafee program to prioritize lifelong connections, mentors, and permanent support networks. Representative Carey has been incredibly outspoken about the importance of mentorship, and this step ensures these young people have real-world relationships to help them achieve lasting independence. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7432) to amend section 477 of the Social Security Act to improve coordination with Federal housing assistance programs for youth who have experienced foster care, as amended.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary talent and achievement of Hannah Harper of Willow Springs, Missouri, a proud daughter of the Ozarks who has captured the hearts of Americans across the country on American Idol. Hannah's journey to the national stage began in Bunker, Missouri where she grew up performing bluegrass gospel music in her family band. Hannah was raised with the values of faith, hard work, and community that define Missouri's 8th Congressional District. Those values have been on full display through her remarkable run on American Idol, where she has advanced from the top 20 to the top 3, earning her place at every stage through undeniable talent and authenticity. Her performances have resonated with audiences far beyond the Ozarks. During Holy Week, Hannah moved viewers across the Nation with her moving rendition of ``At the Cross''--a testament to the deep faith that has guided her and so many families through life. That performance said as much about where Hannah is from as it did about where she is going. Week after week, Hannah has proven that rural Missouri produces world-class talent. She has made the Ozarks proud, and she has reminded a national audience of the strength, faith, and character that define the people of this region. I have no doubt that the best is still ahead for Hannah, and Missouri is rooting for her every step of the way. It is my great privilege to recognize Hannah Harper's extraordinary accomplishments today before the United States House of Representatives and officially proclaim May 6 as Hannah Harper Day.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise to include in the Record an exchange of letters with the Foreign Affairs Committee on H.R. 6903 House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, April 23, 2026. Hon. Jason Smith, Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for consulting with the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the text of H.R. 6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act. I agree that Foreign Affairs may be discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House Floor. This agreement is made with the understanding that it does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Affairs or prejudice our jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I also request your support for the appointment of an appropriate number of Foreign Affairs conferees to any House- Senate conference that might occur on this legislation. I would appreciate it if you could include this letter in your committee report on the bill or place it into the Record during Floor consideration. I look forward to continuing to work together as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Brian Mast, Chairman.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this legislation strengthens the federal child support enforcement program, which is meant to ensure parents pay the support that they owe to their children. This program is one of the most effective Federal programs we have. In 2024, States reported nearly $30 million in collections through the passport denial program, and over 5,000 payments were made to custodial families. The bill closes a loophole in current law that can let parents with large unpaid child support debts receive a passport renewal without consequence. This bill makes sure that the State Department uses its authority to revoke passports, both at the time of the application and renewal. We should use every opportunity to make sure children get the support that they need to thrive. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne), the sponsor of this legislation and someone who is standing up for children across this country to ensure that they get the support that they need.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6956) to require electronically prepared tax returns to include scannable code when submitted on paper, and to require the use of optical character recognition technology for paper documents received by the Internal Revenue Service, as amended.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6956, the Barcode Automation for Revenue Collection to Organize Disbursement and Enhance Efficiency Act, also known as the BARCODE Efficiency Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced by Representatives Rudy Yakym and Brad Schneider. Many government agencies have had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The IRS is no exception. However, in the case of the BARCODE Efficiency Act, all we are really asking the IRS to do is to adopt technology that has been around for decades. By requiring the IRS to deploy scanning technology for certain returns and correspondence, this bill will streamline the tax filing process for millions of Americans and go a long way to improving accuracy over the previous method of manually entering data from paper tax returns. This most recent tax filing season, where Americans saw a historic 11 percent increase in refunds, with the average refund of over $3,200, has just concluded. Had this legislation been in law already, Americans would have gotten back what they were owed even faster. As a key leader on the Ways and Means Committee's oversight efforts, Representative Yakym has been a strong advocate for improving customer service at the IRS and battling to save taxpayers time and money. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Yakym), who is the co-lead of this legislation and who is a critical member of the Ways and Means Committee fighting for oversight and keeping his eye on the IRS.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Many Americans have had to endure frustration and anxiety at the hands of the IRS bureaucracy when it comes to filing or waiting on their tax returns to be processed. Anything we can do to make this process more efficient and user-friendly for the American taxpayer is well worth our time. If we are reforming our tax code to provide more relief to working families, we should be modernizing our tax agency to get that relief to them as soon as possible. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7971) to provide for modernization and technological improvements of services provided by the Internal Revenue Service, as amended.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7971, the Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee chair, Representative Schweikert, and Representative Don Beyer. In 2023, the Government Accountability Office found that roughly one- third of IRS information technology applications and over 20 percent of agency IT software were anywhere from 25 to 64 years old. That means some of the systems in place at the IRS today were in operation before the Apollo 11 crew landed on the Moon. This bill responds to that reality by imposing much-needed transparency on the IRS and requiring the agency to be more accessible for taxpayers, including folks who are seeking information about the status of their tax refunds or data on how the agency is performing when it comes to responding to taxpayers. Our Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Schweikert has been a leading voice in Congress on deploying new technology to bring government into the modern era, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert), the sponsor of this legislation, who as our Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee chairman is a tireless advocate for embracing new technology to improve services at the IRS.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing, though sadly not surprising, that we have to legislate to modernize an agency like the IRS so that its operations are more user-friendly to the American taxpayer, but that is the reality that we are facing. The Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act pushes the IRS to be an agency more worthy of the taxpayers it serves and more responsive to their needs, whether it is tracking a tax refund, receiving a call back from the agency, or making a payment. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7959) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make improvements with respect to the treatment of whistleblowers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7959, the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by the Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee chairman, Mr. Mike Kelly, and the subcommittee's ranking member, Mr. Mike Thompson. The IRS relies in part upon whistleblowers who have the courage to report bad actors who are committing tax fraud, tax evasion, and other similar crimes they witness occurring in the private sector. The IRS Whistleblower Program is one of the many government efforts that is crucial to combat the epidemic of fraud and stop bad actors from stealing hard-earned dollars from American taxpayers. Since 2007, this program has led to the collection of over $7 billion in unpaid taxes. At a time when it appears we need a comprehensive approach to combating fraud across various government programs, Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee Chairman Kelly is building on his longstanding commitment to reform and improve the IRS Whistleblower Program to better protect whistleblowers and appropriately reward them for their contributions to combating fraud. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), the sponsor of this legislation and our Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee chairman, who has fought for some time to make these reforms to improve efforts to combat fraud.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, whistleblowers play a critical role in government oversight, whether it be uncovering bad actors within government or, in the case of the IRS Whistleblower Program, alerting the IRS to those in the private sector who are defrauding American taxpayers. This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee and this administration have made combating fraud a key priority, and I welcome this opportunity to strengthen and impose a key tool in that effort. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6495) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for specific taxpayer notice when information is sought from third parties, as amended.