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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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Charitable Giving Bills Headed to Conference Committee

On September 17 the House passed legislation with tax breaks for charitable giving. The bill, the Charitable Giving Act of 2003 (H.R. 7), is now headed to a conference committee with the Senate. The Senate passed a similar bill, the CARE Act (Charity Aid Recovery and Empowerment Act, S. 476), last spring. In addition to tax breaks for contributions to charities, H.R. 7 provides money for a Compassion Capital Fund, simplification of lobbying rules for charities, reduction in excise taxes for foundations, and authority for states to transfer money from welfare to social service programs. This article includes a summary of the major provisions of H.R. 7, a look at how it compares to the Senate bill, the controversial issues facing the Conference Committee and the administration's position.

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House Passes Charitable Giving Act

On September 17, the House passed a bill that provides tax benefits to increase charitable contributions. The bill, the Charitable Giving Act of 2003 (H.R. 7), was approved by a vote of 408-13. It also provides money for a Compassion Capital Fund, simplifies charity lobbying rules, allows states to transfer money from welfare to social services, and modifies various rules affecting foundations. It is expected to go to conference with the Senate quickly. The Senate passed a similar bill, the Charity Aid Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE Act) (S. 476), in the spring.

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House Charitable Giving Bill to Move in September

It appears the Charitable Giving Act (H.R. 7), a House bill providing incentives to increase charitable giving, may begin to move. A tentative mark-up of the bill is scheduled for September 4 in the Ways and Means Committee.

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New Study on Foundation Payout Continues Controversy

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) released a study on the impact pending legislation could have on grant amounts awarded by private foundations. The study, titled A Billion Here, A Billion There: The Empirical Data Add Up is available in PDF format on the NCRP website. A press release summarizes their findings.

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Charitable Giving Bill in House Sparks Controversy Over Foundations' Costs

When the “Charitable Giving Act of 2003" H.R. 7 was introduced in the House last month, there were optimistic statements that the Ways and Means Committee could consider the bill before the July 4 recess. However, no action is pending and controversy about provisions involving foundations is gaining national attention.

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Charitable Giving Bill Filed in House

See our summary of the House Charitable Giving Act and its comparison to the CARE Act. On May 8th Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) filed the "Charitable Giving Act of 2003" H.R. 7, which is similar to the CARE Act passed by the Senate last month. It has been assigned the same number (H.R. 7) as the controversial faith-based legislation passed by the House in 2001.

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Summary of House Charitable Giving Bill and Comparison with CARE Act

The Charitable Giving Act was introduced in the House of Representatives on May 8th by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN). It has been assigned the same number (H.R. 7) as the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Act passed by the House in 2001, but does not contain any charitable choice provisions. The new bill is similar to the Charity Aid Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE) passed by the Senate last month, but also has some major differences. Here is a summary of the born-again H.R. 7 and a comparison with the CARE Act: Provision

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The CARE Act - What Next?

Before the Memorial Day recess, the House of Representatives is expected to give priority to legislation aimed at increasing charitable giving, but the Ways and Means Committee will probably not consider the Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act passed by the Senate last month. House Majority Whip Ray Blunt (R-MO) and Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN) are expected to introduce a bill limited to giving incentives previously considered by the House.

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IRS Seeks Comments on Guidance, Practices to Prevent Fund Diversion for Terrorism

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking public comments on how it can improve guidance and oversight in order to prevent diversion of charitable assets for terrorist activities. Announcement 2003-29, which will be formally issued May 19, focuses on grants to international charities, but also asks about the appropriateness of issued by the Treasury Department last November. These practices are recommended for all charities, but were released without a public comment period.

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Senate Passes CARE Act 95-5

WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT OPPOSES FUNDS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT

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Resources & Research

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely...

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A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American fam...

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