Nonprofit Speech Rights

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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more news

Controversy Surrounding Voting Fraud Report

Apr 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The New York Times reports that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), responsible for conducting nonpartisan election research, down played the findings of experts that there was modest voter fraud around the nation. The EAC instead issued a report that concluded "there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud in elections as well as what constitute the most common acts of fraud or intimidation." The released report endorses justifications for voter identification laws and the assertion made by Republican politicians that voter fraud is pervasive.

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Independent Sector Asks for Higher IRS Budget

Apr 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Independent Sector sent a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees with jurisdictions over the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging for an increased budget for the IRS given the increased changes made to tax laws governing exempt organizations. According to the letter:

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Many Groups May Switch Tax Status

Apr 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Roll Call ($$) reports that the group Club for Growth has switched its tax status from a 527 to a 501(c)(4), a section of the tax code used by social welfare organizations. In defending the change, the organization's president, former Representative Pat Toomey (R-PA), cited increased scrutiny on 527s by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The group will now be allowed to spend an unlimited amount on lobbying expenditures.

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Supreme Court Asked to Review Restrictions on Private Funds of Legal Aid Programs

Apr 6, 2007 by Kay Guinane

The Brennan Center for Justice has released this announcement:

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Shays & Meehan v. FEC

Apr 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Martin Meehan (D-MA) have asked the D.C. district court in Shays & Meehan v. FEC (Shays II) to order, yet once again, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to issue a regulation on when 527 groups must register as a political committee. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), represented by the Campaign Legal Center, filed an amicus brief supporting Shays and Meehan.

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Plenty of WRTL Amicus Briefs to Discuss

Apr 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed an amicus in the Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) case. Bob Bauer at moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com contends it is "the first and so far most significant major constitutional test of McCain-Feingold, and while this engagement was won by his adversaries, he has yet to disarm." McConnell argues that grassroots lobbying broadcasts should not be limited, but also charges that ads without any reference to a candidate or the purpose of influencing an election will not in the end have any influence on the election.

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"Turf Battle"

Apr 5, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

An article in the National Journal ($$) explains the position of OMB Watch in the struggle to get a grassroots lobbying disclosure provision in the House lobby reform bill that has yet to be introduced. An approach that strictly requires grassroots firms to disclose is discriminatory in that only one type of group is targeted. All who equally engage in grassroots lobbying should report, this way the public will benefit by getting the most useful information.

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District Court Rules Restrictions On North Carolina Nonprofit Unconstitutional

Apr 5, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

A federal district court ruled that a North Carolina law requiring any association of two or more people to be a PAC and therefore subject to reporting requirements of its communications, to be unconstitutional. The case, involving North Carolina Right to Life (North Carolina Right to Life, Inc. et al. v. Leake) came before the Supreme Court in 2004 but was sent back to the lower courts. The Supreme Court instructed the district court to take into account the ruling in McConnell v. FEC.

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Catholics For a Free Choice File IRS Complaint

Apr 4, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) have filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against Priests for Life charging that they have engaged in inappropriate campaign intervention that violates their status as a 501(c)(3). CFFC focused on two videos on the Priests for Life website that implicitly supports the presidential campaign of Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS). The candidates are starting campaigning earlier than ever, and apparently exempt organizations are also engaged early in the 2008 campaign.

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New York Police Watched Nonprofits before 2004 GOP Convention

A March 25 story in the New York Times revealed that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) conducted a covert surveillance program in 14 states, Canada and Europe that collected information on groups planning lawful protests or events at the 2004 Republican National Convention. The information became public as a result of two lawsuits brought against the city by seven of the 1,806 people arrested during the convention. However, the city has asked a federal court to keep detailed records of this surveillance secret, fearing they will be "misinterpreted." The vast scope of the surveillance has become public knowledge at the same time that Congress is investigating Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) abuse of Patriot Act powers to collect information.

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