Nonprofit Speech Rights

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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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Next Steps for Electioneering Communications, Explanation from FEC and New Fight against Disclosure Rule

Dec 14, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is expected to finalize the new rule for funding "electioneering communications" upon approving the explanatory text known as the explanation and justification (E&J). The E&J gives some examples of the types of ads that corporations may or may not sponsor.

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New Senate Rules on Privately Sponsored Travel

Dec 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Senate Ethics Committee has released new guidelines on Senate travel rules in accordance with the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$);

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Political Intervention Complaints Continue

Dec 7, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has already started receiving complaints related to the 2008 election. Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) have filed a complaint with the IRS, asking for an investigation into Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. AU charges that Falwell used school resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Falwell hosted the candidate at Liberty University and then sent an e-mail message on Liberty University letterhead endorsing Huckabee. An AU press release states;

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Court Finds Public Funds Went Towards Religious Program in State Prison

Dec 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

This week a federal appeals court ruled that tax funding of a Christian rehabilitation program at an Iowa state prison violates the separation of church and state. Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a lawsuit in 2003 against the state of Iowa and Prison Fellowship, which operated a pre-release program for inmates called the InnerChange Freedom Initiative. AU charged that the program, in one of the state's prisons, promoted religious indoctrination and violated the constitutional separation of church and state.

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Ensign Continues to Block Transparency Bill

Dec 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

After Senator Feinstein (D-CA) asked Senator Ensign (R-NV) to withdraw his amendment referencing a letter sent by a diverse group including OMB Watch, Ensign has responded with a resounding no. The Senate Campaign Disparity Act (S. 223) would require Senate candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically, and its passage remains doubtful.

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A Nonprofits' Contribution

Dec 5, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Nonprofit groups created to educate the public and lobby on issues have started inserting themselves into the presidential primaries, adding an unexpected wild card to wide-open elections in both parties. The groups provide a new avenue for routing millions of dollars into an election cycle already awash with spending by traditional political organizations.

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FEC Approves Rule Exempting Issue Advocacy from Broadcast Ban

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved a final rule exempting some issue-related broadcasts from the electioneering communications rule. The old rule banned corporations — including nonprofits — and unions from paying for such ads within 60 days of a federal general election or 30 days of a primary, if the ads referred to a federal candidate. The new rule is the FEC's response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life case, which struck down the ban as applied to grassroots lobbying. The new rule does not provide a specific standard.

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The "Commission" Will Determine Radicalism

Nov 30, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Last week an editorial appeared in the Balitmore Sun titled "Here come the thought police," which outlines the many reasons some privacy and civil liberties groups oppose Representative Jane Harman's (D-CA) Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (HR1995). At first glance, the bill overwhelmingly approved by the House in October appears safe, but many fear that it could lead to the criminalization of beliefs, racial or religious profiling, and unconstitutional restrictions on speech.

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To Protect Donors Trade Groups Seek Clarification on New Disclosure Provision of S.1

Nov 29, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Trade associations still do not want to be included in the stealth lobbying coalition provision of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (S.1). The Hill reports, "Trade groups like the U.S.

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Do the Candidates Understand the Value of Nonprofits?

Nov 28, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

As the 2008 election nears, one topic of warning is becoming all the rage, nonprofits that use the campaign season to bring attention to their issues, such as education or healthcare. As the Chronicle of Philanthropy notes, "Nonprofit organizations are stepping up their political activity and becoming more aggressive lobbyists as the presidential primaries draw near, though they must be careful to follow the complex laws governing their tax-exempt status." A Time magazine article highlights many nonprofits that are doing great work to promote the needs of the nonprofit sector to candidates.

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Resources & Research

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely...

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A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American fam...

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Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Large chemical companies a...

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Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

New scientific research shows that the current levels of...

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