{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr5507-114/featured_top-1-accountability-act-1466928634.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr5507-114/featured_large_top-1-accountability-act-1466928634.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr5507-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2016-06-16","title_override":"Should Wealthy Taxpayers Have to Pass a Drug Test to Get Big Tax Deductions?","summary_override":"

This bill would require people who have at least $150,000 in itemized deductions on their tax return to submit proof of a clean drug test or else their itemized deductions would be disallowed. In effect, this would require those taxpayers who fail the test or don't submit it to file returns that only claim the standard deduction ($6,300 for single people in 2016), which could cause the high-income filers that this legislation impacts to pay more in taxes.

Proof of a clean drug test would be submitted to the IRS, and could be conducted by the taxpayer’s employer, through a state certified program, or a medical review officer who meets federal qualifications for workplace drug testing.

If enacted, this bill’s requirements would be in effect for the 2016 tax year, meaning that affected taxpayers would have to take and pass a drug test within the three month period before their return is filed.

","official_title":"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit certain taxpayers from itemizing deductions for a taxable year if the taxpayers fail to submit proof of clean drug tests with their tax returns.","short_title":"Top 1% Accountability Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Top 1% Accountability Act \n\nThis bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit an individual from itemizing deductions for a year if: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's itemized deductions equals or exceeds $150,000, and (2) the taxpayer (and the taxpayer's spouse for a joint return) fails to submit proof of a clean drug test with the return. The drug test must show that the taxpayer (and the taxpayer's spouse for a joint return) did not test positive for any controlled substance.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Taxpayers who have more than $150,000 in itemized deductions on their return; people administering drug tests; and the IRS.","argument_for":"If some states are going to require welfare recipients to pass drug tests to collect benefits, the federal government should require wealthy taxpayers with over $150,000 in itemized deductions to provide proof of a clean drug test or else they lose the ability to itemize.","argument_against":"There’s a big difference between having to pass a drug test to receive welfare benefits and having to pass a drug test to file your taxes a certain way. It’s worth debating whether welfare recipients should have to pass a drug test, but this is a petty way of starting that dialogue.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr5507-114","bill_id":"hr5507-114","formal_id":"H.R. 5507","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2016-06-16T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/5507","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr5507ih/html/BILLS-114hr5507ih.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr5507-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/5507/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2016-06-16","related_bill_ids":[],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":880,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Ways and Means","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSWM","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr5507-114","details":"/api/bills/hr5507-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr5507-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr5507-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr5507-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":0,"slug":"hr5507-114-top-1-accountability-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":5728,"yea_vote_count":2316,"nay_vote_count":3407,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["taxes","government"],"issue_ids":["drugs","federal-agencies","taxes","government"],"sponsor_id":311}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"drugs","name":"Drugs","slug":"drugs","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Drugs. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Drugs Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/drugs/black_drugs-1439216236.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/drugs/grey_drugs-1439216236.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/drugs/white_drugs-1439216236.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"taxes","name":"Taxes","slug":"taxes","description":"US Congressional Legislation related to all types of Taxation: Income Tax, Sales Tax, Property Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Employment Taxes, and the Administration and collection of taxes (including regulating the IRS).","page_title":"Tax Related Federal Legislation including: Income and Sales Tax, Regulating the IRS - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/black_taxes-1429042039.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/grey_taxes-1429042039.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/white_taxes-1429042039.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Jimmy","vote_count":37,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1199520170068536/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1199520170068536/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1199520170068536/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1199520170068536/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/emQ3OVPW/following","followers":"/api/users/emQ3OVPW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":11,"is_following":null,"influence_score":60,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":2,"following_count":1,"position_count":13,"id":"emQ3OVPW","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"e27e4bdf-924a-4b90-a4a8-de8e9af9350b","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"No one should have to do drug tests unless they are a professional athlete. People are allowed to make choices and if a billionaire wants to go on a coca-cola binge for a weekend so be it. ","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/e27e4bdf-924a-4b90-a4a8-de8e9af9350b"},"body":"No one should have to do drug tests unless they are a professional athlete. People are allowed to make choices and if a billionaire wants to go on a coca-cola binge for a weekend so be it. ","stance":"nay","created_at":"2016-07-08T23:03:12.431Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/e27e4bdf-924a-4b90-a4a8-de8e9af9350b.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr5507-114","user_id":"emQ3OVPW","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Jimmy

Should Wealthy Taxpayers Have to Pass a Drug Test to Get Big Tax Deductions?