We believe that remaining in the EU and the single market, and continuing to benefit from the free movement of persons, is in the best interests of Scotland and the UK as a whole. Not only does Scotland (and the UK) benefit enormously from the contribution made by citizens of other EU countries, but we also benefit from the opportunity that free movement gives to Scots to live and work in other EU countries.
We are particularly concerned about protecting the rights of family members of EU citizens, the processes of applying for new settled status in the UK, and continued access to independent judicial redress. More detail on our position can be found in the First Minister's letter to EU citizens in Scotland.
We will do all we can to support the 235,000 EU citizens living in Scotland through this difficult time, and we will continue to push the UK Government to do the same.
We recognise that this is a difficult time for EU and EEA citizens living in Scotland, many of whom have lived here for decades and built lives here with their families. EU and EEA citizens are understandably concerned about their future rights and status.
On 19 March 2018 the UK and EU27 jointly published a draft legal text on the Withdrawal Agreement which indicated that agreement had been reached at negotiators' level on issues related to EU citizens' rights. The draft legal text includes a transition period of 21 months after the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019. The draft agreement now extends to EU citizens and their families who come to the UK during this transition period. You can find the full text of the draft agreement here.
On 15 June 2018 Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs Fiona Hyslop and Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Finance Mark Drakeford wrote a joint letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to highlight shared concerns over the EU Settlement Scheme. They expressed their concerns about people who may be at risk of missing out on settled status simply due to being unable to, or unaware that they can and need to apply.
As outlined in the letter, we are aware that EU citizens will be feeling anxious about applying for the Settlement Scheme. To ensure EU citizens in Scotland get as much support as possible, Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced on 7 October 2018 that we will establish a service to provide information and support on immigration and citizenship matters for EU citizens.
The Home Office published an employer toolkit on 25 July 2018 to provide employers with the information to support EU citizens on the EU Settlement Scheme.
We want EU and EEA citizens and their families to continue to make their lives here in Scotland. We have set out our position in Scotland's Place in Europe and in Scotland's Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment, Both make it clear that we believe the UK should remain in the European Single Market and continue to benefit from the free movement of people.
The First Minister, in her open letter to EU citizens immediately after the referendum, called on the UK Government to provide assurances that those living here would have their rights protected and to make it clear that Scotland remains a stable and open place to live, study, work and do business.
Scottish Ministers and officials are meeting with EU citizens and their families across the country to listen to their views and concerns. We have now held public events with EU citizens in Fife, Dundee, Glasgow, Ayrshire and Aberdeen.
In response to the UK Government's paper setting out their negotiating position on citizens' rights, we published our position paper, Protecting the rights of EU citizens, in July 2017.
We also argued in our recent discussion paper Scotland's Population Needs and Migration Policy: Discussion Paper on Evidence, Policy and Powers for the Scottish Parliament for powers over migration so that we can have migration policies which meet the particular needs of Scotland, for example ensuring we have the labour we desperately need to give us the best economic prospects in the future.
On 11 September 2018, UK Migration Advisory Committee published a report on the impact of international students in the UK. This report set out eight recommendations including that international students should not be removed from the net migration statistics and an extension of the post-study leave period to 6 months for Master’s students. We were disappointed the MAC did not recommend a separate post-study work visa, despite this being a key theme in the evidence they received.
On 18 September 2018, UK Migration Advisory Committee published a report on the impact of EEA migration on the UK. This report set out 14 recommendations including that there should be no preferential system for EU migrants and that the salary threshold and immigration skills charge should be maintained and applied to EEA migrants. We believe that these recommendations do not reflect the evidence provided by employers in Scotland. We are disappointed in the recommendations and believe that this approach will be detrimental to the strength of Scotland’s economy and present unnecessary challenges for our thriving business community.
The MAC is clear about the positive impact of EEA migration noting that it had little or no impact on the employment rates, wages or training of the UK born workforce. This report confirms what the Scottish Government has been saying all along: EEA nationals contribute to public services far more than they take out. It is vital therefore, that Scotland continues to attract people from the EU and beyond to ensure we have the teachers, doctors, nurses, care workers our public services need.
UK Government policy paper on safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU
UK Government website on what EU citizens rights are and information regarding the settlement scheme
EU documents on Brexit negotations with the UK, including the draft agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU
find an immigration adviser registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner on the OISC website
This article uses two unique panel data sets to study the causal effect that armed conflict has over firm exit in Colombia. Using a fixed-effect estimation methodology at the plant level and controlling for the possible endogeneity of armed conflict through the use of instrumental variables, the authors find that a one-standard deviation (SD) increase in the number of guerrilla and paramilitary attacks in a municipality increases the probability of plant exit in 5.5 percentage points or .28 SD. This effect is stronger for younger manufacturing plants, with a smaller number of workers and low levels of capital.
This profile is for the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) to be used in the disclosure of data and documents at all stages of the government’s contracting process. Such disclosures must be in line with government policy, and guided by current information legislation and statutory guidance. The OCDS provides an established specification for publishing structured data on all stages of the contracting process. 
OCDS is designed for global interoperability, but also includes a mechanism for local extensions which would support the addition of any UK policy-specific fields and flags. It is possible to create simplified OCDS templates for disclosure of selected data at key stages (eg template for contracts registers). 
The users in the context of this standard are public sector organisations – buyers of goods, services and works – who will disclose the information across the whole contracting process. The users of the disclosed information are: 
OCDS includes specifications for how to identify buyer and supplier organisations, the items procured, and the process of procurement
these fields of information are key to understanding the fair award of contracts, and who the suppliers are
OCDS is specifically oriented towards disclosure of contracting information across the whole contracting process. It currently supports serialisation of data as JSON, and CSV for spreadsheets responding to the different needs of different users
OCDS is specifically oriented towards disclosure of contracting information across the whole contracting process. It provides a model for proactive disclosure, in which public bodies can start by publishing the data they easily have access to, but then can step-by-step improve that data and publish more. 
To address some user needs will require better data, structured data capture and management (eg providing company identifiers; linking transactional spend with contracts), and through OCDS there is a pathway to doing this. If vendors include support for OCDS in their systems, particularly the concept of common identifiers across the contracting process, it becomes possible to gain a more comprehensive picture of public contracting, and to compare data from different public bodies more easily. 
An OCDS document is text based and made up of a number of sections. These are represented in JSON format. 
OCDS only specifies how to provide meta-data about contracting processes. It could be paired with PDF/A standards, or other suitable document publishing and archival standards to ensure that documents associated with each contracting process are well maintained for future analysis.
It would also benefit from application of government URI guidance to ensure each published OCDS release of data is maintained at a unique URL indefinitely. This is particularly important for large scale contracts which may last many years, or even decades, and for which access to historic information is particularly important.
Where more than one property is to be valued there may be more than one geographical unit (IHTM23002) handling the valuation. Distinction should be made between
Multi-unit cases occur where valuations are required of properties situated in 2 or more VOA units. Each unit referral will be treated as a separate case with the VOA (IHTM23002). A separate request form is used for each unit referral. Where similar types of property exist in more than one unit, the units liaise as necessary. The co-ordinating role will usually be assumed by the unit with the greatest number of properties to value.
Part cases within one unit occur in cases with 2 or more properties which are dealt with by different local VOA offices within the unit. They comprise a single case for registration purposes. A case can only be registered at one location within a unit. As such, a case co- ordinator for the unit is nominated by the VOA, normally in the location dealing with the leading property, and that person is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the valuation aspect as a whole and for reporting and liaising with us. VOA staff are encouraged in these circumstances to report sequentially, as the various elements are settled, and not to defer matters until all aspects have been agreed. However, you should keep an eye open in such cases to ensure that you are informed as individual aspects are settled.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Hero Films, Chestnut Ridge Productions and Hudlin Entertainment have chosen to film the Thurgood Marshall biopic, Marshall, in Buffalo. The courtroom thriller focuses on a young Thurgood Marshall prior to becoming the first African American Supreme Court Justice and his handling of a case that proved important to the Civil Rights Movement. Preproduction is already underway and filming is set to begin in late May, primarily in Niagara Square at the Dillon Courthouse, in the heart of downtown Buffalo. The production expects to spend at least $4.5 million, hire more than 400 crew and extras, and book an estimated 1,100 hotel room nights.
"Thurgood Marshall was a giant of the civil rights movement and the hosting of this film memorializing his great work is an honor," Governor Cuomo said. "This production will help create hundreds of jobs and generate millions of dollars for the local economy, providing even more momentum to Buffalo’s economic resurgence and adding one more reason why this is a city on the move."
Marshall is the latest major film production to tout New York State’s Film Production Tax Credit Program as a major factor in the selection of the Empire State as a filming location. Since 2004, 1,336 film and television projects have participated in the program and are estimated to have generated more than one million new hires and $20 billion in new spending in New York State. In 2015 alone, a record 203 film and television projects applied for the program, estimated to generate 187,764 new hires and $3.05 billion in new spending statewide.
Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, "We are very excited to have a major film like Marshall choosing a world-class city like Buffalo. The State's Film Tax Production Credit coupled with the incredible attributes of New York State make for an unbeatable duo."
Paula Wagner, Owner of Chestnut Ridge Productions and producer of Marshall said, "Reginald Hudlin, our director, and I look forward to filming Marshall in Buffalo. Its iconic architecture and environment lend themselves perfectly to recreate a time and place to tell this story best. The State’s production tax credit program was also a prominent factor while we were choosing where to film, and it made Upstate New York an even more attractive place to shoot. We look forward to working with the community of Buffalo and New York State as we prepare to begin filming the production of Marshall in this great city."
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, "Thurgood Marshall was one of our nation's greatest legal minds and the choice to film the Thurgood Marshall biopic, Marshall, in Buffalo, New York is a tremendous honor. It is also another great opportunity to bring the eyes of the nation on the transformation taking place in Buffalo as we continue to build on the work we’ve been doing with Governor Andrew Cuomo to support growing industries, including Buffalo’s emerging Film industry, which generates millions of dollars to the local economy. We are demonstrating that Buffalo is a great place to film a movie and we will continue to work hard to bring even more productions to our city, which will create good jobs and drive more economic growth."
Buffalo has emerged as a popular film destination as a result of provisions championed by Governor Cuomo, designed to drive more productions to locations in Upstate New York, like Buffalo, by offering an additional 10 percent credit on qualified labor costs for films that shoot or do post production in most Upstate counties. Buffalo has attracted a variety of productions in recent years, including smaller independent films and major motion pictures, with films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 shooting in the city last year, generating jobs and millions of dollars for the local economy. When coming to a city like Buffalo, productions such as Marshall and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 generate a significant boost for many local businesses; in particular, downtown hotels, restaurants, vehicle and equipment rental companies, and other service industry businesses.
Marshall focuses on a case early in the career of the man who would later help to desegregate the nation’s public schools with his victory in Brown vs Board of Education, and then become the first African American Supreme Court Justice in United States history. While the country was on the verge of World War II in 1940, Marshall is sent by a nearly bankrupt NAACP to Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high profile victory but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who had never tried a case like this before. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come.
Reginald Hudlin, who produced this year’s Academy Awards and the critically acclaimed Django Unchained, will direct Marshall. The film will star Chadwick Boseman, whose credits include recently playing two African American icons – Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up – as well as Josh Gad, who has starred in comedic films and also provided the voice for Olaf in the worldwide box-office hit Frozen.
Marshall is produced by Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible 1, 2 and 3), Jonathan Sanger and Reginald Hudlin, and line producer Chris Bongirne, who has interfaced with representatives from the City of Buffalo and the New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development. The film is written by Mike Koskoff and Jake Koskoff.
Governor Cuomo Launches $110 Million Initiative to Keep Pedestrians Safe Across New York State | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state’s first-ever, comprehensive pedestrian safety plan, a proactive, multi-agency initiative that provides $110 million for pedestrian safety improvements across upstate New York and Long Island during the next five years. The program will utilize an engineering, education and enforcement campaign to enhance safety. To kick off the campaign, the Governor introduced a new pedestrian safety web site at www.ny.gov/pedsafety. Beginning today, more than a dozen police agencies across the state are conducting pedestrian safety enforcement campaigns that will run through July 3.
"Supporting these education programs and enforcement efforts will set a new safety standard for pedestrians and motorists and help make this state’s roadways safer for all,” Governor Cuomo said. "Through these efforts, we will help prevent avoidable tragedies and save lives."
The New York State Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, which the Federal Highway Administration supports, takes a three-pronged approach to improving safety during a campaign that will run through State Fiscal Year 2020. It is being implemented cooperatively by the New York State Department of Transportation focusing on engineering improvements, the State Department of Health conducting public education and awareness campaigns, and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee coordinating increased law enforcement.
The plan targets improvements in communities outside of New York City. The city has an established pedestrian safety program that receives millions in federal funding administered by NYSDOT.
The pedestrian safety plan supplements other traffic safety programs, including this year’s Highway Safety Improvement Program grant awards for projects that will enhance safety and mobility on roadways across the state. A list of HSIP project awards by region is available here.
“Safety is our top priority and the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is one more example of how Governor Cuomo’s leadership is making New York State a safer place to live, work and play,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll said. “This initiative will make it easier to walk in cities, towns and villages across the state, ensuring that people can get to where they’re going safely.”
Acting GTSC Chair and Department of Motor Vehicles Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan said, “The GTSC supports year-round efforts to prevent pedestrian crashes, injuries, and deaths, and emphasizes the responsibility that all New Yorkers have to share the road. We are proud to team up with DOT and DOH, always our partners in traffic safety, to implement this action plan and enforce the law so that all pedestrians get to their destinations safely.”
Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, “Pedestrian-related traffic injuries and fatalities continue to be a major public health concern in New York State. These incidents are preventable, and we all have a shared responsibility to create and sustain a safe traffic environment. I look forward to working with our state and local partners to coordinate and put into action the educational strategies in the New York State Pedestrian Action Plan.”
Peter Osborn, FHWA NY Division Administrator said, “The Federal Highway Administration is pleased to partner with the New York State Department of Transportation, the Governors Traffic Safety Committee, the New York State Department of Health and other safety partners on the development and implementation of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. We commend our partners for being proactive here in the state of New York to combat this national issue improving pedestrian safety.”
The need for a plan is clear. Highlights of key findings from an analysis of five years of statewide traffic safety data from 2009-2013 include:
Sixty one percent of the contributing factors to pedestrian crashes were related to driver actions, while 37 percent were related to pedestrian actions. For drivers, the top two contributing factors were driver inattention and failure to yield right of way. For pedestrians, the top two were pedestrian error and pedestrian failure to yield right of way.
The Safety Action Plan, part of the state’s broad effort to improve traffic safety, supports the State’s Complete Streets Law and is consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan. Governor Cuomo signed the Complete Streets Law in 2011, requiring state, county and local agencies to consider the safety and convenience of all users when developing transportation projects that receive state and federal funding and are subject to NYSDOT oversight.
Funding for the plan’s implementation will come from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, as well as other state and federal funding sources.
The plan calls for a systemic approach to proactively address widespread safety issues and minimize the potential for crashes by implementing low-cost countermeasures throughout the roadway network.
Pedestrian safety site evaluations will begin this year on state-owned roadways, including at 2,000 crosswalks without traffic signals and 2,400 signalized intersections. The second year of the plan, NYSDOT will fund local pedestrian safety initiatives identified through a project solicitation. Information about that funding will be available later in the year.
Improvements at crosswalks without traffic signals will include pavement markings and signs. Up to 400 locations will receive enhanced treatments as warranted, including refuge islands and attention-grabbing light beacons.
At signalized intersections, high visibility crosswalk markings and additional signs will be installed. Signalization will be enhanced with extended crossing times, countdown timers that tell pedestrians how many seconds they have to cross the street and leading pedestrian intervals that help make pedestrian more visible to motorists by giving them a head start before traffic can turn onto the street. These sites also will be evaluated for enhanced treatments, such as pedestrian refuge islands or median and curb extensions.
In addition, NYSDOT will evaluate for potential safety improvements five corridors with a higher-than-expected number of pedestrian crashes.
At the same time, the State Department of Health will produce and place public service announcements about pedestrian safety, engage local traffic safety boards, schools and others in public outreach, and provide training for safety organizations.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee will encourage police agencies to apply for traffic safety grants in the 20 communities with the highest number of pedestrian crashes, provide education for law enforcement and justice officials, and organize an annual pedestrian safety law enforcement blitz.
The plan calls for the communities with the highest number of crashes from 2009 to 2013 outside of New York City to be given extra attention to improve pedestrian safety. That will be done by providing education, enforcement and funding for safety improvement projects through a competitive grant solicitation. A list of the communities is attached.
A targeted enforcement campaign by police agencies along the corridor starts today and runs through the end of next week with the goal of improving both driver and pedestrian safety.
Police will hand out a warning notice, developed by GTSC and DOH, which details State law regarding pedestrians. They also may issue tickets to both pedestrians and motorists for violating the law. In addition, police will have supplies of informative motorist and pedestrian safety tip cards to distribute.
Furthering the education effort, a pocket guide covering vehicle and traffic law related to pedestrians was developed for police personnel. It serves as a resource that law enforcement personnel can keep in their patrol car glove boxes for quick reference.
In addition, a fact sheet will be distributed as part of outreach to local courts to inform them of the campaign and help reinforce the importance of the issues that are being addressed with this focus on pedestrian safety.
The education campaign emphasizes the “See! Be Seen!” message for driver and pedestrian awareness. The “See!” aspect of this campaign encourages drivers to:
Always look for pedestrians, particularly when turning at a green light or making a right turn on red
Use sidewalks; if there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic so you see vehicles and drivers see you
Congressman Eliot Engel said, “Those of us who live in or around the busy streets of New York City know we can never be too safe when it comes to protecting pedestrians. I support Governor Cuomo’s New York State Pedestrian Action Plan, which is supported by the Federal Highway Administration and will undoubtedly improve public health and safety.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey said, “Pedestrian safety is critical to health, safety and quality of life in our communities. This is a great example of how we can work across levels of government to make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers.”
Congressman Steve Israel said, “Knowing that Long Island is home to some of the most dangerous roads in the state, I have been a relentless fighter for resources to make our roads safer. I fought in Congress to make certain that policies were included in the long-term highway bill to ensure safety for all travelers is a priority for planning and building roadways. I applaud Governor Cuomo for launching this initiative and will continue to be a partner in efforts to keep our streets safe.”
Congressman Paul Tonko said, “These infrastructure improvements will make it easier for New Yorkers to commute and recreate in the Capital Region and throughout the entire state. I thank Governor Cuomo for recognizing these local needs and acting on them in a way that boosts our economy and creates quality jobs in our area.”
Congresswoman Kathleen Rice said, “Pedestrian safety is both a public health priority and local economic priority. Over the past several years, the Town of Hempstead in our district has seen the highest number of pedestrian-involved crashes in the entire state – that’s a serious problem for parents raising kids in our communities, for residents who deserve to be able to walk and run safely in our neighborhoods, and for business-owners who rely on foot-traffic in our business districts. The Governor’s new initiative offers an opportunity to confront this problem comprehensively through smarter engineering, education and enforcement, and I’m pleased that the Town of Hempstead has been designated a focus community so that we can give pedestrian safety in our district the full attention it deserves.”
Congressman Lee Zeldin said, “This critical initiative, secured through the bipartisan federal highway bill that passed Congress last year, will help to make improvements to our community’s local infrastructure, increasing walkability and pedestrian and motorist safety in Suffolk County. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I strongly support improving our local roadways and will continue working in Congress to strengthen Long Island’s infrastructure.”
The educational campaign stresses that drivers and pedestrians must avoid distractions and not text or use mobile devices while driving or while walking across a street.
For more information, visit Governor Cuomo’s new pedestrian safety web site at: www.ny.gov/pedsafety. It provides an overview of the pedestrian safety plan, examples of highway safety improvements that can enhance pedestrian safety and tips for safely navigating roadways as a pedestrian.
Two of the so-called “rogue agents” from the Internal Revenue Service division at the center of the political targeting scandal took turns being praised for their professionalism at a Thursday House oversight hearing, but lawmakers remained divided on whether their testimony showed that the tax agency has been politically misused.
The two employees, one who recently retired after 48 years and the other a 14-year veteran, expressed frustration at “micromanagement” and “unusual” delays in guidance from supervisors in processing politically sensitive applications for tax-exempt status. But both testified that they saw no political motivation in their managers’ conduct.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, convened the hearing amidst an ongoing partisan dispute over two-month-old revelations that employees in the IRS’ Exempt Organizations division singled out certain groups applying for tax-exempt status.
Lawmakers also clashed Thursday over whether the May report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that launched the controversy omitted key details about IRS scrutiny of progressive groups in addition to Tea Party-types. Republicans focused their outrage on statements by presidential press secretary Jay Carney, former acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller and suspended IRS exempt organizations chief Lois Lerner that the mishandled applications were the work of “rogue employees” rather than Washington higher-ups. The Republicans said Washington officials will be called to future hearings.
“Sadly,” Issa said, “the White House spokesman [Jay Carney] continues a narrative of inappropriate conduct” by a few employees in Cincinnati. “But what began in Cincinnati with one case was soon at the Washington level, well above line employees,” he said. “Hundreds of files were in many hands, most of which were not in Cincinnati. I want to make sure the smear stops here today.”
His portrayal was countered by ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who said, “Republican politicians and commentators have engaged in a sustained and coordinated campaign to accuse the president and the White House of using the IRS to target Tea Party groups for partisan political purposes -- without any evidence to support their claims. The fact is that there is no evidence before this committee to support these claims. This is unsubstantiated nonsense. It undermines the committee’s integrity.”
The IRS employees, though among 16 recently interviewed by congressional staff, were the only two at their level to testify in public on how they performed the process for deciding whether a given nonprofit is too political to merit tax-exempt status.
Elizabeth Hofacre, a determinations specialist in the Cincinnati unit who had been assigned to be an “emerging issues coordinator,” described how in April 2010 she was given 20 applications from Tea Party-like groups to determine whether they warranted a tax exemption. She did receive applications from neutral or progressive groups, but she re-rerouted them to “general inventory,” she said. Her supervisor, in what she called a “highly unusual” practice that felt like “micromanagement,” asked to see her proposed letters seeking additional information, “but at no point did I receive guidance on what to do.”
It was frustrating, Hofacre said, “to become a Tea Party dumping ground for all cases with any inkling of politics” while at the same time “I was being slammed on the phone by taxpayers, and they deserved an answer.” She could tell them only that their applications were “under review,” she said. “I know the accuser’s reference to rogue agents is incorrect,” she said, describing how she and her family were “hounded by the press. It wasn’t a character-builder.”
Her supervisor in the Exempt Organizations technical unit, Carter Hull, who recently retired, told the panel that he could provide her no guidance because his own supervisor had yet to supply it. He had been asked to send two test cases to his superiors, including staff in the IRS General Counsel’s office, for review. He had recommended one for approval, and the other for denial.
The cases are decided by “facts and circumstances,” Hull said, describing how he disagreed with a suggestion from a higher-up that his unit create a “template” for processing multiple applications in the same manner. “There is no bright line that defines 51 percent social welfare,” he said, explaining how he would research the applications by visiting the groups’ websites and searching for similar precedents. He said his manager asked him to create a “sensitive case” report on the Tea Party applications.
Under questioning, he agreed that sending cases recommended for denial was standard operating procedure.
Both Hofacre and Hull, under prompting, stated that they found no political motives or hostility toward the Tea Party, that they had no contact from the White House or the Obama political campaign, and that they did not know what drove the top division boss Lois Lerner’s questions about their handling of different nonprofits. Asked how IRS might accelerate applications processing, both declined to make suggestions.
Hofacre, responding to Democrats’ recitation of Republican statements and political advertisements suggesting President Obama’s involvement, said, “I have no personal knowledge of the presidential campaign digging through other people’s tax returns.” But on a personal level, she said she was “deeply offended” by comments implying that she was a rogue agent. “It hurt my reputation and that of other employees,” she said. When Lerner so-characterized her office, “it was like a nuclear strike,” she said.
Lawmakers from both parties praised the professionalism and honesty of the two witnesses. “I don’t see any rogue agents, I see civil servants, some of which are on furloughs,” said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C. “I don’t see targeting, I see confusion.”
Said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, “I’m glad the truth is surfacing. You have Jay Carney blaming one of the people at this table, but you are more heroic than that."
Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., said their testimony showed that the situation stemmed from “a miscommunication between Cincinnati and Washington.”