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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

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...

read in full

more news

Online Monitoring of Corporate and Foundation Philanthropic Policy Influence

An often overlooked realm of nonprofit use of technology for advocacy involves access to information, not only with respect to government, but also financial information from corporations and nonprofits themselves. One way such information is used is to demonstrate the influence of special interests on public policy formulation, discourse, and decision-making, under the veneer of nonprofit public interest work and/or grassroots activity. Are there special interests hidden behind the online philanthropic policy watchdogs? The following was originally posted to the NPTalk online forum.

read in full

Campaign Finance Bill Becomes Law: What Next?

The real impact of the new campaing finance reform law will be influenced by two factors: the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) decisions in writing the regulations required to implement it and the lawsuits filed by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the National Rifle Association challenging its constitutionality.

read in full

House Committee Revises Stealth PAC Law

State and Local PACs May Get Exemption From Reporting.

read in full

OMB Watch Comments on Compassion Capital Fund Guidelines

OMB Watch responded to HHS request for public comments on guidelines for the new $30 million Compassion Capital Fund. Here is the content of our comments. OMB Watch March 29, 2002 Mr. Bobby Polito Administration for Children and Families, 6th Floor-West 370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW Washington, D.C. 20447 Re: Comments on Guildelines for Compassion Capital Fund 67 Fed. Reg. 8816 (February 26, 2002) Dear Mr. Polito,

read in full

Poll: Religious Congregations and Electioneering

Please take a moment to vote in our informal poll on churches and political activity. In April the House Ways and Means Committee is expected to hold a hearing on legislation that would allow religious congregations to partcipate in partisan political campaigns. For more information on this issue see this summary.

read in full

An Assessment of BackWeb Technology in a Nonprofit Public Policy Environment

Background About the NPT Project OMB Watch has been involved in a three-year effort called the Nonprofits' Policy and Technology (NPT) Project to provide and identify opportunities for nonprofits to: learn about and utilize newer technologies for public policy activities; improve communication and coordination between technology and public policy professionals in the nonprofit sector; and to increase the accessibility to -- and comfort level with -- these tools.

read in full

Nonprofits' Policy and Technology Project, 1999 Year in Review

This report provides a summary of activities undertaken through OMB Watch's Nonprofits' Policy and Technology (NPT) project during 1999. It is broken into five categories: Demonstrations; Education and Planning Activities; Innovation Awards; Pilot Projects; and Other Activities. Demonstrations

read in full

State and Local PACs Not Reporting to IRS Could Owe Millions in Penalties

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has said that state and local PACs that have failed to register could owe millions in penalties, and they are evaluating how to proceed.

read in full

IRS Seeks Public Comment on Electronic Filing for Form 990

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is assessing whether or not to make electronic filing available to organizations that file Form 990, the annual information return most nonprofits are required to file. To help determine if there is enough interest among nonprofits to justify proceeding with the project, the IRS issued Announcement 2002-27 on March 13, requesting public comments on several issues, including:

Factors that would encourage nonprofits to file Form 990 electronically;

read in full

CRS Report Says Nonitemizer Deduction in S. 1924 Yields Little New Giving

On March 13, 2002, the research arm of Congress, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), released an analysis of legislative proposals to deduct charitable contributions for those who do not itemize their taxes. Based on the economic effect of the deduction, they conclude that, "the impact of the proposed deduction on charitable giving is likely to be relatively small…" CRS levels other criticisms of the non-itemizer deduction, but also offers three approaches to improving the proposals pending in Congress. The table below summarizes the CRS findings.

read in full