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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Amicus Briefs Filed in Challenge to Member Disclosure Law

Mar 5, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21 and Public Citizen filed an amicus brief in support of the Justice Department to defend a member disclosure requirement in the new lobbying disclosure law. National Association of Manufacturers v. Taylor challenges Section 207 of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA).

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Citizens United Must Submit New Briefs and an Uncertain FEC

Mar 5, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Last week the Supreme Court ordered that both sides in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission must file new briefs on whether the Court may hear the appeal. Citizens United is challenging the disclosure requirement for those funding "electioneering communications" (ads mentioning federal candidates 60 days before a general election or 30 days before a primary), as applied to ads for the group's film Hillary: The Movie. U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, representing the Federal Election Commission (FEC), asked the Court to dismiss the case or affirm the lower court's ruling .

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Form 990 Instructions Should be Released by April

Mar 4, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Instructions for the redesigned Form 990 are expected in April. BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports that there will likely be a 30 to 45 day public comment period. "A summary of one to two pages will accompany each schedule, highlighting the controversial items for which practitioners should look in making their comments, . . . [t]his includes governance and compensation questions that have become high priorities for IRS."

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Investigation of United Church of Christ Shows IRS Rules Need Fixing

On Feb. 20, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent the United Church of Christ (UCC) national office a letter announcing the agency has launched an investigation because there is "reasonable belief" that the church violated the ban on partisan electioneering, based on a June 23, 2007, speech by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) at the church's 50th General Synod. The investigation has generated strong reactions, and as details emerge, it is clear that this case highlights the inherent weakness of the IRS's facts and circumstances test as a regulatory standard defining what is and is not partisan electioneering.

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Leap Day Laugh: Don't Miss This!

Feb 29, 2008 by Kay Guinane

Laughter is the key to survival in advocacy or politics, so don't miss this video "news" on The Onion website: Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results of 2008 Election Early. See it here: War for the White House Maybe it would be funnier if it was posted on April 1….

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IRS Investigating United Church of Christ for Obama Speech

Feb 28, 2008 by Kay Guinane

On Feb. 26 the United Church of Christ published a statement revealing that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent them a letter announcing it has launched an investigation into their tax exempt status because it says there is "reasonable belief" that the church violated the ban on partisan electioneering. At issue is a June 23, 2007 speech by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) at the church's 50th General Synod.

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PEPFAR Reauthorization Bill Includes Pledge Requirement for HIV/AIDS Grantees

Feb 27, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A mark up hearing was held today (February 27) on a compromise bill introduced this morning, the Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, that will expand upon the law passed in 2003. The United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act (PL 108-25) prohibits grants to any group that "does not have a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking."

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House Ethics Task Force Proposal Likely To Get Vote Soon

Feb 26, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The House is expected to vote soon on the recommendation to create an independent office to consider ethics complaints made against lawmakers. The task force, led by Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA), was created last year as part of the House's overall effort to reform House ethics standards. Many expect passage of the measure that will set up the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), a panel of six board members appointed by the House speaker and the minority leader, with current members and lobbyists ineligible to serve.

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527 Turns to Wisconsin Right to Life Case for Support

Feb 22, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Relying on the Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) decision, a newly formed 527 committee argues that they can broadcast their ads, and that under WRTL the pieces are issue advocacy. The 527, the American Leadership Project (ALP), claims that it will not engage in express advocacy and will focus its efforts on issues that are important to the middle class such as the economy. Meanwhile, Bob Bauer (also Senator Barack Obama's lawyer) at moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com argues that their actions violate federal campaign finance law and the group should be considered a political committee.

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Supreme Court Still Not Decided whether it will Review Citizens United Case

Feb 20, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The U.S. Supreme Court did not consider the Citizens United case during its February 15 conference, and now a decision on whether the Court will review the challenge to Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules will wait until February 22. Citizens United is a 501(c)(4) organization claiming that television ads for its film, Hillary: The Movie, should not be subject to donor disclosure requirements under FEC rules.

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