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

Public Citizen Files Suit Against FEC for Dropping Case

Apr 24, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

In March the Federal Election Commission (FEC) decided against moving forward with an investigation into the 501(c)(6) organization Americans for Job Security (AJS) because of a deadlocked 3-3 vote by the six commissioners. Public Citizen filed a complaint in 2007 charging that the group should be considered a political action committee. According to Public Citizen, the group's ads were meant to influence an election, and therefore were a violation of their tax-exempt status.

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When Following Through With a Campaign Promise Becomes a Contradiction

Apr 21, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

In case you did not already know, many are not happy with the administration's rules on registered lobbyists working in the administration. A New York Times article, highlights our concerns with President Obama's Executive Order on ethics and lobbying.

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Lobbying for Recovery Act Funding Restricted

On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued interim guidance on how to comply with President Barack Obama’s March 20 memorandum that restricts contact between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Legal Services Corporation Changes Introduced

Momentum is growing for Congress to eliminate severe restrictions on legal aid programs that receive Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funds. LSC programs are currently prohibited from engaging in certain activities such as lobbying, participating in agency rulemaking, and bringing class-action lawsuits. The new congressional efforts come as reports show how the restrictions have harmed home foreclosure prevention efforts.

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The FEC Supports the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act

Apr 17, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released their 2009 legislative priorities which includes four recommendations. Of these four, the FEC considers electronic filing of Senate campaign finance reports to be a priority. OMB Watch has supported this for years, and most recently with the introduction of S. 482. You can help by calling your senators and asking them to cosponsor the bill.

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Some Agencies Disclose Communications with Lobbyists

Apr 17, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Office of Management and Budget's guidance on implementing the president's March 20th memo regarding communications with lobbyists is being criticized as still too restrictive. According to The Hill, "the guidance has not lessened the worries of the coalition of groups that have campaigned against the restrictions."

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Lobbying and Ethics Executive Order Should be Amended

Apr 15, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

OMB Watch has signed on to a letter requesting that the administration amend the Jan. 21 executive order putting in place restrictions on lobbyists who work for the federal government. Expressing frustration with the new rules, the letter urges the White House to focus on the influence of money and isolate public interest lobbying.

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Maryland Lawmakers Limit Covert Police Surveillance

Responding to the outcry over covert police surveillance of peaceful activists' meetings, Maryland lawmakers voted on March 24, 2009 in favor of a bill to protect residents from having authorities violate their First Amendment rights. The House of Delegates and Senate approved similar bills and Governor Martin O'Malley has expressed his commitment to signing the legislation into law.

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OMB Attempts to Explain Lobbyist Communication Rules

Apr 13, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

On April 7 the Office of Management and Budget issued Interim guidance to help employees comply with the March 20 memorandum that put in place restrictions on communications between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the economic stimulus package.

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Is the Time Ripe for Clear IRS Rules on Political Activity?

Apr 10, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

A BNA Money and Politics ($$) report addressed a Feb. 20 technical advice memorandum (TAM 200908050) discussing whether a 501(c)(3) organization had intervened in a political campaign by including partisan content from an affiliated 501(c)(4) on its website.