Taxpayer Data Protection Act

The Taxpayer Data Protection Act aims to safeguard the integrity of the Department of the Treasury's public money receipt and payment systems, including those managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service. It achieves this by establishing stringent new requirements for individuals seeking to use, control, or access these critical financial systems or their associated data. The bill amends existing law to specify that only authorized personnel meeting strict criteria may access these systems. For Treasury officers, employees, and contractors, eligibility includes a "fully successful" or higher performance rating and at least one year of service or contract performance. Individuals not directly employed by Treasury must hold an appropriate security clearance , have at least one year of continuous civil service, and complete specific training on privacy, cybersecurity, and national security regulations. Furthermore, all individuals granted access must sign a written ethics agreement and ensure their actions do not violate federal conflict of interest statutes. The bill clarifies that exercising administrative control over or impacting payments within these systems constitutes "personal and substantial participation" for conflict of interest purposes. To ensure accountability, the legislation mandates that the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury investigate and report to Congress within 30 days on every instance of unauthorized access, detailing the actions taken, assessing risks to privacy and national security, and describing any stopped payments.