IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act
This bill, the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act, aims to strengthen protections and incentives for individuals who report tax violations to the Internal Revenue Service. It directly affects whistleblowers who submit information about tax evasion or avoidance schemes and the IRS officials who evaluate those reports. Key changes include requiring Tax Court reviews of whistleblower awards to be conducted de novo based on the original administrative record, granting whistleblowers anonymity before the Tax Court unless a societal interest outweighs potential harm, and adding interest to award amounts if the IRS delays providing preliminary recommendations. The legislation also modifies IRS annual reports to include descriptions of top tax avoidance schemes disclosed by whistleblowers and corrects a provision regarding attorney fee deductions for whistleblowers.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
President
Introduced Mar 17, 2026
Last action Apr 28, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced in House
→
Engrossed in House
·
3 edits
·
Apr 27, 2026
MINOR
The engrossed version makes one substantive policy change: whistleblower anonymity before the Tax Court was changed from mandatory to elective, giving whistleblowers the option to proceed anonymously rather than requiring it automatically. The remaining changes are formatting adjustments (spacing, indentation) and two minor technical corrections to effective-date language.
ELIGIBILITY
Section 3(a): Whistleblower anonymity before the Tax Court changed from mandatory ('shall proceed anonymously') to elective ('may elect to proceed anonymously'), giving whistleblowers a choice rather than imposing automatic anonymity.
TECHNICAL
Section 3(b): Effective date language clarified to reference 'petitions under section 7623(b)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986' instead of the more general 'petitions filed with the Tax Court,' and 'amendment' changed to 'amendments' (plural).
Section 6(b): Corrected 'this subsection' to 'this section' in the effective date provision, fixing a drafting error.
Floor votes · House Apr 27, 2026
How they voted
346–10
Passed · 73 other
Total votes 429
Apr 27, 2026
D
Democratic212
86% Yea
I
Independent1
100% Yea
R
Republican216
75% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
15
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
2
Apr 28, 2026
Committee
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
upper
Apr 27, 2026
Introduced
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 346 - 10 (Roll no. 138). (text: CR H3104)
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 346 - 10 (Roll no. 138). (text: CR H3104)
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Introduced
Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 119-606.
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Committee
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HR 7959
Scope: US
Hi! I can help you understand HR 7959. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline