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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Nonprofits Issue Statement on Proposed FEC Rules

In response to the FEC rulemaking on political committees, the Alliance for Justice, Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest, the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and OMB Watch have developed four principles that we believe must be incorporated into any new rule the FEC adopts. The statement is below. We have also created a website with more background information for nonprofits at www.nonprofitadvocacy.org. Read the full statement below. An Open Letter on Principles That Should Apply in the Upcoming FEC Rulemaking March 3, 2004

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"How Does E-Grants Streamlining Affect Me as a Grantee?" Survey and Results

In April 2004, OMB Watch conducted an online survey to ask federal grantees specific questions related the effects of grants streamlining on their ability to find and apply for grant opportunities. About Grant Streamlining The federal government is simplifying its grants process with the goal of making it is easier to obtain and manage government funds. We were to provide federal agencies and grants management professionals with feedback on their efforts to date.

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Anti-War Conference Attendees Issued Subpoenas

A FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force subpoena was issued early this month to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The subpoena asked the university to produce all records relating to its November antiwar conference.

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FEC Sets Stage for Showdown on Scope of Campaign Finance Regulation

On Feb. 18 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved Advisory Opinion 2003-37, which was requested by a Republican group Americans for a Better Country (ABC). It expands regulation of political committees registered with the FEC, but does not impact other groups, including 501(c)(3) organizations. However, the commissioners’ deliberations indicated that further consideration of a “range of options” for setting new boundaries of regulation would be considered in a rulemaking proceeding beginning in March.

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Bill to Repeal Restrictions on Broadcasts During Election Season Introduced in House

On Feb. 11, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) introduced HR 3801, a bill to repeal “electioneering communications” restrictions in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) that ban broadcasts that refer to federal candidates 60 days before a general election or 30 days before a primary election or nominating convention.

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File Your Form 990 Electronically

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announces online filing for Form 990. The IRS is set to accept online submissions of Form 990, the annual report filed by nonprofits, beginning in March. The IRS has made online filing of nonprofit financial reports a top priority because of the increased scrutiny by Congress, the media and others. The eventual goal is to have most 990s filed electronically, and the information made available to the public in a searchable database. Benefits of filing Form 990 electronically for nonprofits include:
  • reduction of the paperwork burden,

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Charitable Giving in Bush's 2005 Budget Proposal

President Bush’s FY 2005 budget proposal includes several tax incentives to encourage charitable giving accompanied by several requirements that will limit taxpayer deductions.

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The House Supports Religious Discrimination Bill

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) offered a substitute amendment during House debate to strip out language that gave faith-based organizations permission to infuse their federally funded programs with religion and to discriminate on the basis of religion when hiring. Woolsey’s substitute amendment failed to be adopted by a 50-vote margin (183-232).

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Draft FEC Advisory Opinion Generates Comments from Nonprofits

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) staff has drafted an Advisory Opinion (AO) that could have far reaching impact on nonprofit advocacy. Draft AO 2003-37 was written in response to a request from Americans for a Better Country, a political organization under Section 527 of the tax code, but it could impact all issue advocacy, not just partisan campaign activity.

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Groups Ask Congress to Initiate Ethics Investigation of Delay Charity

Common Cause and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy have called on members of the House to “urge the Ethics Committee to formally rule on the legality of a plan closely associated with Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) to establish a children’s charity as a fundraising vehicle to subsidize donor events at the Republican National Convention.”

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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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