Take Action to Stop Nonprofit Gag Provision!
by Amanda Adams*, 10/25/2005
NONPROFIT GAG PROVISION TO REACH THE HOUSE FLOOR
OCT. 26
href="/gseresourcecenter">
title="/gseresourcecenter">New
Analyses Released Today at Resource Center
Help stop a stealth attack on advocacy! There will be an
attempt to insert an anti-advocacy provision into H.R. 1461, the
Housing Finance Reform Act on the House floor Oct 26. Act now to help
kill the provision!
The provision would disqualify nonprofits from receiving money
from a new affordable housing fund if they have engaged in voter
registration and other nonpartisan voter participation activities or
lobbying -- or affiliate with any group that does so -- even with their
own private funds. The organizations -- and their affiliates -- would
be barred from these activities from 12 months before applying for the
funds to throughout the grant period.
If enacted, this anti-advocacy amendment would set a dangerous
precedent. Nonprofit organizations have a right to use private funding
to lobby and engage in non-partisan election activities and should be
allowed to exercise this right whether they receive funds from the
federal government or not.
To find out more about this provision, visit our
title="/gseresourcecenter"
href="/gseresourcecenter">Resource
Center. The Resource Center is continuously updated with new
information, such as Rep. Betty McCollum's (D-MN)
title="/pdfs/10.19.statements/Rep.McCollum.Dear.Colleague.pdf"
href="/pdfs/10.19.statements/Rep.McCollum.Dear.Colleague.pdf">Dear
Colleague letter opposing the manager's amendment and the
Brennan Center for Justice's
title="/pdfs/10.19.statements/BC_constitutional_issues_memo.pdf"
href="/pdfs/10.19.statements/BC_constitutional_issues_memo.pdf">memo
on the unconstitutionality of the provision.
Today, OMB Watch released two new papers on the subject: a
description of
title="/pdfs/10.19.statements/ConflictsWithConflictsWithOtherLaws.pdf"
href="/pdfs/10.19.statements/ConflictsWithConflictsWithOtherLaws.pdf">conflicts
with other federal and state laws created by the Nonprofit
Gag Provision, and a
title="/pdfs/10.19.statements/NonprofitGagFAQ.pdf"
href="/pdfs/10.19.statements/NonprofitGagFAQ.pdf">Q&A
to answer your questions.
Under the leadership of the National Low Income Housing
Coalition and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, nonprofit
organizations and concerned individuals across the country are taking a
stand against this outrageous provision.
Since time is limited, call your Representative
and tell him or her to oppose the Nonprofit Gag Provision. For more
details on the legislative procedures, see
title="/pdfs/10.19.statements/NEWNLIHC_ActionAlert.pdf"
href="/pdfs/10.19.statements/NEWNLIHC_ActionAlert.pdf">an
alert from the National Low Income Housing Coalition,
available at our Resource Center.