The Charity and Security Network presents How the Work of Charities Can Counter Terror and How U.S. Laws Get in the Way. A December 2009 report based a panel disccsuion event held on March 20, 2009 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The report features nonprofit leaders from the U.S., Colombia, Palestinian states and Philippines explain how ill-advised counterterrorism measures diminish the critical work of humanitarian and development groups and exacerbate some of the root causes of terror, such as poverty, religious persecution, and exclusion from the political process.

Robocalls – automated phone messages – are one of the least expensive methods that political candidates use to reach voters. However, restrictions on unsolicited calls have complicated efforts by candidates who want to use political robocalls. While political robocalls are exempt from the national "do not call" registry, some states have implemented restrictions on them. A political organization is now asking whether these state laws run afoul of federal law.

Vol 1, Issue 21
Featured articles and blog commentaries (click on headline to read full article):
1. House Committee Reins In Patriot Act Provisions; Calls Made for Hearing on Amending Material Support Statute
2. Summary of House Judiciary Committee Discussion of Humanitarian Exemption to Material Support Prohibition
3. Al Haramain v. Treasury: Successful Constitutional Challenge to Unlimited Treasury Power to Shutdown Charities
4. Asset Forfeiture Case Filed Against Alavi Foundation, Grantees Not Accused
5. Massachusetts State Bill Calls For Oversight on Fusion Center
6. President Nominates Shah to Head USAID
7. Update: ACLU Drops Suit After TSA Changes Policies to Limit Unreasonable Searches
8. UK Charity Commission’s Compliance Toolkit: Protecting Charities from Harm
9. Aid Workers Killed or Abducted Around the World in 2009
10. How Many Children Could be Helped if Frozen Charitable Funds Were Released?

According to a study conducted by OMB Watch and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), 1,418 federally registered lobbyists "deregistered" with Congress in the second quarter of 2009 (between April and June). This is a considerably higher rate than that seen in the average reporting period, when a few hundred lobbyists terminate their active status. The groups cautioned that this finding does not necessarily mean that the Obama administration's policies on lobbyists are leading to fewer outside influences on government policy, or that those policies are creating more transparency.