Saturday, October 4, 2003
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Washington, D.C.

Members present:

• Mary Balmer, for David Meyer, Area 2
• Mario Burgos, E-Filing
• Skip Eshelman, Notices
• James Grimaldi, Area 1
• Cheyanna Jaffke, Area 7
• Gwen Handelman, EITC
• Robert Meldman, Ad Hoc
• Sandy McQuin, Designated Federal Official
• Paul Nagel, Schedule C Non-Filers
• Tom Seuntjens, TAP Chair
• Teresa Smedley, Area 4
• Leonard Steinberg, Payroll Taxes
• George Sullivan, Area 3
• Bruce Twomley, Multilingual
• Lillian Woo, Area 5
• Sherry Whah, Area 6

Members absent:

• David Meyer, Area 2

Staff Present:

• Sandra Ramirez
• Patti Robb, Note Taker
• Barbara Toy, Program Analyst

Quorum: 16 Members present, quorum of 9 met

Welcome/Announcements/Review Agenda
Seuntjens welcomed all and asked all members to introduce themselves and state their committee. Seuntjens asked all Joint Committee to try to attend each meeting. However, if the chair is not able to attend the meeting, the chair should ensure the committee vice chair or another member of the committee attends.

National Office Report
McQuin has started a discussion with the national public liaison for other IRS Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) groups including IRPAC (Information Reporting Practice Advisory Committee) and, in particular, his attendance at the orientation of new IRSAC (Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee). McQuin has also started discussion to include Seuntjens in the Operating Division quarterly business meetings and to tie this into the presentation of the TAP annual report.

Woo looked at the amended charter and questioned why it expired in October 2004. McQuin replied that they have already started the process of renewing the charter and that the process for renewal differs from the amendment process and is not as involved.

Distribution of Minutes/Review of Assignments
Seuntjens stated that the Joint Committee worked on administrative issues for the first six months and it was important to get processes and foundations set. The new chairs will not deal with as much administrative tasks and can focus on reviewing items forwarded by the area and issue committees. Part of the new chair's responsibilities include a monthly committee report, due to Analyst Toy the 8 th of each month.

Action: Toy will send the Monthly Committee forms to new chairs.

The Monthly Committee Report tells what the committee has done for the past month. It includes information on meetings held; issues raised and researched, and outreach activities. It is also used to attach proposals brought to Joint Committee by the area committees to review for elevation and to attach proposals sent to the program owners by the issue committees for awareness. The reports also help you formulate your committee's mid-year assessment and then an annual report.

The draft annual report was due October 1, 2003, and the final report is due by the 15 th of October. Seuntjens will then pull together the annual report for Treasury. Seuntjens will provide an outline of the annual report to the Joint Committee to review and provide input, either wordsmith or content. After approval the annual report will be published, bound, and distributed.

Seuntjens suggested new chairs review the past year's Joint Committee minutes.

ACTION: Toy will send copies of Joint Committee minutes to new members.

Seuntjens added that it is difficult to reach consensus at a face-to-face meeting and the protocol is hard enough but on telephone conference, reaching consensus is different and suggested new chairs receive a copy of telephone protocol.

ACTION: Toy will send copy of telephone protocol to new members.

Minutes
All members received a copy of the minutes and were asked to review the minutes for approval at the next meeting scheduled for October 21, 2003, at 1:30 EDT.

Meetings
Joint Committee teleconferences are held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 Eastern Time. Seuntjens proposes a May meeting which will be after most committees have held their first face-to-face and also a later August or September meeting. Committee decided to wait for consolidated calendar of all committee meetings to schedule the face-to-face meetings.

ACTION: Toy will consolidate calendar and distribute to all Joint Committee members.

Assignments
The first assignment reviewed from the September 16, 2003, Joint Committee draft minutes was a reminder to all chairs to copy McQuin on all information being forwarded to Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA). Olson asked McQuin to develop a tracking system to ensure Olson responds and/or takes action on all items sent to her. To make the system work, McQuin needs to be aware of all items sent to Olson.

ACTION: Chairs aware of open items that have not received a response from Olson should inform McQuin and consider bringing to Joint Committee.

Seuntjens told committee members that he had invited Colleen Kelly of the National Treasury Employees' Union (NTEU) or her representative to this Joint Committee meeting. Kelly was invited for the Joint Committee to understand NTEU's point of view and to give NTEU a better understanding of TAP. TAP is also asking NTEU to help get the TAP message to IRS employees. Balmer questioned whether this changed what the Joint Committee had agreed to in the September meeting. Seuntjens replied that Joint Committee agreed not to invite NTEU to the all TAP meeting to address the entire panel but not the Joint Committee.

All names of the alternates for the vacancies known at the time were sent to Treasury for approval two weeks ago. Staff will try to fill as many vacancies as we can. This time, McQuin sent more names forward than we had vacancies. This way if the alternate we contact is no longer willing to serve, we can contact the next alternate. Handelman asked if that meant the panel would be at full strength if all the alternates are approved. McQuin replied no because some vacancies occurred after the list was sent forward. Seuntjens said that there may continue to be new vacancies as chairs address participation issues. Burgos mentioned that it was a measure of involvement, not just looking at the minutes to see who has not attended. Some members are more involved in one committee over another or in subcommittee work. McQuin stated the missing step is that chairs of both committees need to have a conversation and then talk to the committee member to find out the cause of the non-involvement and if lack of interest, do they want to remain on panel. Smedley stated that there may be extenuating circumstances that caused a member not to participate but the member may want to become more active.

ACTION: Staff has tracked attendance; McQuin will send attendance charts to committee chairs.

Handelman stated that the IRSAC action item is incomplete because she had also raised the question of committees working with IRSAC. She mentioned that IRSAC also had an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) subcommittee, and her committee was interested in forming a partnership.

Action: Toy will broaden the action item concerning IRSAC to include not only the Chair and vice chair but possibly subcommittees of each working on similar issues.

TAP had the experience of not being able to contact a panel member through email or telephone. A letter was sent to the member asking about their lack of involvement and if they wished to continue with TAP. The letter contained a statement that if we don't hear from you by such and such a date, we will consider the lack of response a desire to resign from TAP. The letter was sent from an Area office but Seuntjens prefers letter be sent from National Office. McQuin agreed as long as both the chairs and program managers were involved or attempted to be involved in the initial conversations.

Remainder of assignments were either completed and dropped or are carried over to these minutes.

Agenda Items:

All TAP Meeting
Nothing to add so skipped.

Issue Matrix Subcommittee Update
Balmer stated that the purpose of the Issue Matrix is to identify duplication of issues, identify issues of broad concern, and facilitate communication between committees. The categories are now defined by problems and Balmer suggested categories more on a functional basis. Some follow the IRS functional units or type of service IRS provides. There will be a primary category and a secondary category specific to the primary and further identifying the issue. The subcommittee will try to assign categories as best as it can but TAP can add or subtract categories as we need them. The last part of the task is to develop a report that contains all information we need and is easy.

ACTION: Toy and Balmer will have draft of issue matrix subcommittee report and list of categories by October 21, 2003.

Acknowledgement letters format
Decision was made to place the acknowledgement letters into use by staff and that chairs should send comments or input on format to Toy.

Monthly Committee Reports Action Items

Provider Identification Number approved by consensus.

W-4 Clarification approved by consensus.

Hold Music approved by consensus.

Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals
Woo presented the proposal. The program owner suggested the Area 5 subcommittee review the form and make suggestions on putting it into natural language. The program owner does have a courtesy copy but we are asking the suggestions be elevated through the formal channels. Handelman stated that the proposal looked much like what our issue committee does and it is not possible for members of the Joint Committee to perform the research and analysis to evaluate the proposal. This proposal should be handled more like an issue committee proposal and not be sent through the Joint Committee. Discussion followed on if the area has already done the research and analysis, and how extensive the Joint Committee's review should be. In addition, for the Area 3 proposal regarding EFTPS (Electronic Funds Transfer Payment System) worksheet and the voice response system, the program owner already agreed to the suggestion and the Joint Committee just reviewed the proposal and sent a thank you and acknowledgement through the formal channels. Seuntjens felt the new chairs should have some level of confidence in saying that the proposal is acceptable and due to lack of time, proposed that this item be carried forward to the October 21, 2003, meeting.

ACTION: Chairs will review the Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals proposal for discussion at the October 21, 2003 meeting .

Closing

Seuntjens reminded chairs to post the Joint Committee dates to their calendars. Three items were brought to Seuntjens by panel members, and they will be placed on the agenda for the next month's meeting.

Assignments:

All Joint Committee Members

• Chairs aware of open items that have not received a response from Olson should inform McQuin and consider bringing to Joint Committee.
• Review the Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals proposal for discussion at the October 21, 2003, meeting.
• Copy McQuin who is responsible for placing items on the tracking system to Olson on any items requiring a response to ensure the item is placed on the system.
• Chairs should send any comments to Toy on items that need to be included in the Issue Committee Proposal forms by September 12, 2003. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)
• Draft of annual report by October 1, oral presentation of reported at all TAP meeting and final version to Toy by October 15, 2003. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)

Area Chairs

• Incorporate all aspects of the holding process for the toll free system in time of the September 21st meeting. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)

Kraushaar

• Work with McQuin to develop :
  • Pocket-sized Quick Media Tips
  • Clear fact sheet on who TAP is and what TAP does
  • Generic News Release (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)

McQuin

• Staff has tracked attendance; McQuin will send attendance charts to committee chairs.
• Track the elevated issues (including the four all ready elevated) and check the status every 30 days. Provide a monthly status report to the Joint Committee: who has it, when they got it, and the current status. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)
• According to charter and TAP Guidance Document, the TAP Chair and Vice Chair have designated role as liaisons with other IRS advisory groups: ETAAC, TE/GE, ACT, IRSAC, and IRPAC. In addition the TAP Chair and Vice Chair are the points of contact with the TAP staff, TAS, SB/SE, W&I, and other IRS Operating Divisions and Functions and Treasury to provide briefings on TAP activities, next steps, and action items. Seuntjens asked Temple for a copy of the charter last January and February. Seuntjens did attend one meeting with IRSAC, but thinks he and Lowe need more involvement, more interfaces, more executive focus, and an inroad to these people. In addition, TAP and IRSAC sometimes have similar committees working the same issue, for example each have a subcommittee on EITC. McQuin should also consider ways for other TAP members to partner with IRSAC and IRPAC. (05/20/2003)
• Regular scheduled conference calls were supposed to be set up with Temple, Chesman, Sottile, and Seuntjens ; this has not been done. (05/20/2003)

Nagel

• Forward his concern on the work done on Schedule C Non-filers to Chesman. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)

Staff

• Develop a form for collecting the inventory of knowledge, skills, and abilities and find a way for the information to be easily accessed on TAPSpeak. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)
• Notify chairs if they notice conflicts when placing items on calendar. (09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)

Toy

• Send copies of Joint Committee minutes to new members .
• Send copy of telephone protocol to new members.
• Consolidate calendar and distribute to all Joint Committee members.
• Broaden the action item concerning IRSAC to include not only the Chair and vice chair but possibly subcommittees of each working on similar issues.
• Add the date the area approved to the template and send out to Joint Committee members and the managers. 09/05/2003 and 09/06/2003)
• Get breakdown of top 50 issues on SAMS that are not assigned as a project to TAS employees. (05/02 -05/03, 2003)
• Toy, Balmer, and Meyer will have draft of issue matrix subcommittee report and list of categories by October 21, 2003.