From the Chronicle of Philathropy: The American Red Cross and its Board of Governors are under investigation by the Senate Finance Committee following the recent resignation of the charity's chief executive and the organization's handling of recent disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.

On Dec. 8, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4297, the Tax Cut Extension Reconciliation Act of 2005, by a vote of 234-197. Unlike its companion bill in the Senate, S. 2020, H.R. 4297 does not include charitable reform provisions. There are also a number of other major differences between the two bills that the House and Senate are expected to iron out in conference. A House-Senate conference could begin as early as next week, though it is unclear whether conferees will have enough time to come to agreement before Congress adjourns for the year.

Recently, 31 leading faith-based groups joined the campaign to end the Legal Services Corporation's private money restriction, a federal rule that each year deprives thousands of low-income individuals and families of legal help in critical civil cases. In a letter to Congressmen Wolf and Mollohan, the religious groups wrote, “We are deeply concerned that this [provision] hurts the families we serve, imposes unnecessary costs, and sets a dangerous precedent for public-private partnerships.