On Friday, President Bush signed The Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 (H.R. 3768), a bill that includes a number of charitable incentives designed to provide immediate relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina. This week, Congress is expected to begin consideration of longer-term relief legislation designed to help rebuild parts of the Gulf Coast.

The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector invites the nonprofit community to comment on the draft recommendations it is considering for inclusion in a special supplement to the Final Report. The Panel’s Work Groups and its Expert Advisory Group deliberated throughout the summer on such key issues as proposed federal regulation of charitable solicitations, international grantmaking, consumer credit counseling agencies, and prudent investor rules. The Panel will consider comments as it prepares the additional recommendations it will submit to the leaders of the U.S.

The White House is drafting a plan that would provide more than $1-billion to nonprofit organizations to help resettle Hurricane Katrina survivors in cities across the country, reports CNN. The nine charities being considered to help with the resettlement process have experience helping refugees who have immigrated to the United States, and at least half are religious charities.

Interesting article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy about where the donations are going and what they should be used for.