Nonprofit Voter Engagement

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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Groups Increase Election Ad Spending and Candidates Spend Less

May 19, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

As observers monitor whether the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC will have an affect on spending in the 2010 election, recent news indicates that regardless if it's because of the ruling, spending is increasing.

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Nonprofits Work to Restore Ex-Offender Voting Rights

Voting is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy, yet millions of Americans have had their right to vote revoked for periods ranging from the time spent incarcerated to a lifetime. Nonprofit organizations are playing a major role in efforts to restore voting rights to ex-offenders with felony convictions, and recent developments in Virginia and Washington State highlight the importance of nonprofit involvement in the issue.

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Committee Holds Second Hearing on DISCLOSE Act

May 13, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The House Administration Committee held its second hearing on the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175), a bill that would require increased reporting of political campaign spending. House Administration Committee Chairman Robert Brady (D-PA) said, "The bill does not play political favorites. It applies alike to corporations, labor unions, trade associations and nonprofit advocacy organizations."

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House Administration Committee Holds Hearing on DISCLOSE Act

May 7, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA) held the first hearing on the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175), and has already announced a second hearing on the bill scheduled for May 11. In his opening statement, Brady said, "The DISCLOSE Act recognizes that American voters are at minimum entitled to full and accurate reporting of campaign spending so that voters may know who is attempting to influence their vote."

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Supreme Court Hears Arguments on State Disclosure of Petition Signatures

On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Doe v. Reed, a lawsuit filed by a political action committee in Washington State. The case could decide whether public disclosure of referendum petition signatures is permitted or if signing such a petition is a private political act protected by the First Amendment.

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DISCLOSE Act Seeks to Blunt Impacts of Citizens United

To blunt the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) recently introduced companion bills, both called the DISCLOSE Act (the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act). The legislative response would create new, rigorous campaign finance disclosure requirements meant to prevent moneyed interests from drowning out the voices of citizens and smaller advocacy organizations.

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After Much Delay, the DISCLOSE Act is Introduced

Apr 29, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

In front of the Supreme Court, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced the introduction of legislation meant to diminish the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The much anticipated bill is titled as expected, the DISCLOSE Act, which stands for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections. Four Democrats signed on as co-sponsors, including Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Al Franken (D-MN).

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Supreme Court Denies Review in Challenge to FEC Rules

Apr 28, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The Supreme Court sent back to a lower court a case originating from the 2008 presidential election, challenging Federal Election Commission (FEC) disclosure rules. A 527 organization, the Real Truth About Obama (RTAO), wanted to sponsor ads covering President Obama's record on abortion and other issues. After the group lost their appeal of a federal district court decision, RTAO requested the Supreme Court to review the case.

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Memo Released on Citizens United Bill

Apr 23, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

After much hullabaloo, more details have been revealed about Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Chris Van Hollen's (D-MD) legislative response to counter the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. Even though it has not been formally introduced, a memo has been disclosed outlining the bill.

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FEC Announces Rulemaking Schedule to Address Court Rulings

Apr 20, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released a proposed rulemaking schedule to write new campaign finance regulations in response to multiple recent court decisions. The most predominant cases are the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in EMILY's List v. FEC.

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