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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

more news

Dreier Moves To Ban Former Members From Floor, Gym

Jan 29, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The House this week will kick off the second session of the 109th Congress by kicking lobbyists out of an inner sanctum: the members’ gym. Rep. David Dreier (R-CA)the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he will introduce a resolution on Tuesday that would bar former members who were registered lobbyists from the House floor and House gymnasium. The full House would vote on the measure a day later. Past members already are banned from the chamber if a bill they are lobbying is pending before the full House or any committee. Former members who are registered lobbyists would be allowed to enter the chamber only on ceremonial occasions, such as Former Member Day.

read in full

Lobby Reform Resource

Jan 29, 2006 by Guest Blogger

At his website, More Soft Money, Hard Law, Bob Bauer has created a one stop shop for all things lobby reform. Check it out!

read in full

Scrappy Idealists Take on Congress

Jan 29, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Although this is mostly an article about earmarks and "pork", it is an interesting article into the world of the watchdogs.

From the Washington Post: These are dark days for earmarks.

read in full

Hill Briefing

Alliance for Justice, Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, National Council of Nonprofit Associations and OMB Watch, Present Nonprofit Advocacy Rights: What Are They? How Are They Under Attack? Wednesday, January 25, 2006 The following nonprofit leaders discussed the lobbying and election activity rules for nonprofits and past attempts to restrict these advocacy rights through federal legislation.

read in full

Amid Reform Frenzy, Senate Democrats Introduce Lobby Reform Bill

Since the guilty plea by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Congress has been hurriedly preparing lobby and ethics reform legislation. Republicans announced their ideas at a Jan. 17 press conference that seemed mostly designed to pre-empt the unveiling of Democrats plan on Jan. 18. The Senate Democrats followed their press event with the introduction of a comprehensive bill authored by Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In our view, the Reid bill is a solid beginning, but falls short of adequately addressing the culture of corruption that surrounds Washington politics today. To follow is an analysis of the Reid bill and its impact on lobbying generally and nonprofit lobbying specifically.

read in full

High Court Opens Door to Campaign Finance Rule Challenge

Less than a week after oral arguments were held the Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 23 that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002's (BCRA) ban on "electioneering communications" can be challenged on a case-by-case basis. The ruling opens the door for the Wisconsin Right to Life Committee (WRTL) to pursue its claim that BCRA is unconstitutional as applied to its grassroots lobbying communications. The unanimous opinion in Wisconsin Right to Life Committee v.

read in full

IRS to Step Up Nonprofit Enforcement in 2006

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson, speaking to the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, recently announced that in 2006 the IRS will increase its enforcement efforts for exempt organizations, building on a trend of the past few years. Among the agency's top priorities, according to Everson, will be enforcement of the ban on political intervention by charities and religious organizations.

read in full

Resource Center: Gov't Ethics, Lobby Reform Proposals for 2006

Get up to date information and analysis on proposals for reforming Congress, better public disclosure and reforming the budget process. Latest Update: Feb. 15, 2006 We moved! Go to www.ombwatch.org/files/lobbyreform for the new Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics Resource Center. Updated Feb. 7, 2006

read in full

WRTL v. FEC Supreme Court Arguments This Morning

Jan 17, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Supreme Court heard arguments this morning for WRTL v. FEC. Bob Bauer is live blogging from the courtroom.

read in full

IRS Revoking Tax-Exempt Status of Many Credit Counselors

Jan 16, 2006 by Guest Blogger

From the Washington Post: The Internal evenue Service plans to revoke the tax-exempt status of 30 nonprofit credit-counseling organizations, saying the groups are not providing adequate financial education to their clients and funnel too much money to their chief executives and to related for-profit entities. So far, five credit organizations have lost their tax-exempt status, while the reminder have been notified that their status is about to change.

read in full