Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : House OKs More Tax Audits for the Rich

The House passed legislation that would require the Internal Revenue Service to step up audits of corporations and the rich. The measure, sponsored chiefly by Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), requires that $13 million that had been intended for mail audits--whose targets are mostly middle- and low-income people--be used instead to increase face-to-face audits of businesses and high-income individuals. The measure passed on a 411-1 vote, with only Rep. Philip M. Crane (R-Ill.) voting no. The measure was attached to a bill providing $19.7 billion to finance operations of the Treasury Department, the Postal Service, White House offices and other federal agencies.