IRS, Customs funds stay alive

The House on Thursday approved the fiscal 2001 Treasury Department/Postal

Service spending bill that includes money to set U.S. Customs Service modernization in

motion and continue modernizing the Internal Revenue Service.

The $14.4 billion bill makes $140 million available for organizational modernization

at the IRS and provides $282 million to implement the IRS Restructuring

and Reform Act of 1998.

The bill, which goes to the Senate next, also included:

* $105 million to begin Customs' Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

program to replace an antiquated automation system being used for import

processing.

* $123 million to keep the aging import system working while ACE is put

in place.

* $5.9 million to allow the National Archives and Records Administration

to transfer and begin processing presidential and federal records from the

Clinton administration.