Building Nonprofit Advocacy Capacity

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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The Need for Nonprofits to Lobby during Economic Uncertainty

Jan 16, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Financial Times reports on some nonprofits' plans for the upcoming year in 2008. With a troubling economy and increasing income gap, a demand for service organizations will only increase, leaving behind concerns that the groups will have adequate funds. In response, many organizations will become more involved in the political debate, and hopefully lawmakers will have an understanding of the sector's needs. Accordingly, service organizations must lobby the government in a time of economic instability so that the needs of the poor and middle class are met.

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IRS Needs to Increase Outreach to Smaller Nonprofits

Jan 16, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Nina E. Olson, the taxpayer advocate, released the annual report to Congress, which addressed a need for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to help small nonprofit groups understand its rules. "Smaller EOs frequently lack professional tax guidance. The IRS has increased enforcement actions against EOs [tax-exempt organizations] and the resources dedicated thereto. However, resources devoted to EO education and outreach, which were never adequate, have continued to decline."

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IRS Issues Final Version of New Form 990

On Dec. 20, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the final version of its updated Form 990, the informational return for public charities and other tax-exempt organizations. The new form marked the first revision since 1979 and will be used for the 2008 tax year (returns filed in 2009). The IRS expects to release draft instructions for the 2008 Form 990 later in January. Although the new Form 990 incorporated many suggestions made in public comments on the draft version, the IRS did not make key changes to clarify and simplify reporting of advocacy-related activities.

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Brennan Center report discredits alleged "voter fraud." Asserts these bogus claims harm election integrity.

Jan 3, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice examines alleged instances of voter fraud, finding these claims "often prove greatly exaggerated." In the The Truth About Voter Fraud , author Justin Levitt defines voter fraud to clarify widespread confusion about the term's meaning. He then analyzes scenarios often described as voter fraud. Finally, he describes infamous individual cases of voter fraud and offers alternative causes and policy recommendations.

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New report examines elections in 5 Midwest states

Jan 3, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A new report surveys the impact of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) on state and local election administration in five Midwestern states — Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. From Registration to Recounts: The Election Ecosystems of Five Midwestern States was written by Ohio State University Law election law scholars Edward Foley, Steven Huefner and Dan Tokaji. In addition to advocating specific policies for each of the five states, the authors make the following broader observations and recommendations:

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Arizona judge rules in favor of verifying electronic voting records

Dec 21, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

An Arizona judge ruled this week that the local Democratic party has the right to review electronic voting databases from the 2006 primary and general elections. The decision in Pima County, Arizona, affirmed that electronic voting records are public documents.

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Study Finds Handful of Industries Dominate Presidential Campaign Contributions

Dec 21, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

A joint Campaign Finance Institute-Public Citizen study of over 2,000 individuals raising contributions for the 2008 presidential candidates finds that these donations were dominated by just three sectors: law, finance, and real estate .

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IRS Releases Redesigned Form 990

Dec 20, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the release of the redesigned Form 990, the form that public charities and other tax-exempt organizations are required to file annually. The new form will be used for the 2008 tax year starting in 2009 and will be phased in over a three year period for smaller organizations. Many changes have been made since a draft was released after the IRS received more than 650 public comments.

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Obama's Plan To Boost America's Nonprofits

Dec 18, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has proposed expanding existing national-service programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Obama has also promised increased federal government help for nonprofits. Obama said he would create a Social Investment Fund Network to provide money to encourage innovative nonprofit projects, including for example the funding of specific community-identified priorities, and creating a Social Entrepreneurship Agency. Read his proposal here.

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Ensign Continues to Block Transparency Bill

Dec 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

After Senator Feinstein (D-CA) asked Senator Ensign (R-NV) to withdraw his amendment referencing a letter sent by a diverse group including OMB Watch, Ensign has responded with a resounding no. The Senate Campaign Disparity Act (S. 223) would require Senate candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically, and its passage remains doubtful.

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