Protecting Nonprofit 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...

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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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FEC Will Eventually Consider Guidance for Disclosing Independent Expenditures

Jul 16, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) had on the agenda advisory opinion requests from the Club for Growth and Commonsense Ten for its July 15 meeting, but the agency has put them off for now. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the FEC has given itself a July 21 deadline to respond to the requests, which could set guidelines for the reporting of independent campaign expenditures.

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Connecticut Campaign Funding System in Peril

Jul 14, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

A very complicated case from Connecticut may have implications for federal campaign finance law. An appeals court upheld restrictions on campaign contributions from government contractors, threw out part of the state's public campaign financing law, and struck down a ban on lobbyist contributions. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), "the decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S.

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For-Profits Use Nonprofit Structure to Avoid Earmark Ban

In response to intense criticism of congressional earmarks, House Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-WI) announced a ban on all earmarks to for-profit organizations. These companies and their congressional patrons wasted little time in funneling earmarks to nonprofit organizations in order to circumvent the ban. Using nonprofits to circumvent the ban on earmarks raises questions about the practice itself, as well as the policy of ending all earmarks to for-profit corporations.

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Nonprofits Active in Voting Rights Issues before Midterm Elections

As the midterm elections approach, nonprofit organizations are staying active in voting rights issues. Nonprofits have played key roles in the settlement of a New Mexico voting rights case, opposition to the state of Georgia's challenge to the federal Voting Rights Act, and advocacy supporting the Fair Elections Now Act. Through these and other activities, nonprofits are advocating for a process that ensures that their constituencies' interests are represented.

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ACLU, Lawyers' Committee Intervene in Georgia Voting Rights Act Challenge

Jul 7, 2010 by Lateefah Williams*

On July 6, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Georgia, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a motion to intervene in Georgia v. Holder, the state of Georgia's challenge to the Voting Rights Act. Georgia filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice because it wants the federal government to allow it to verify each voter's citizenship before allowing an individual to vote.

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June 30, 2010 Charity and Security Network Newsletter

Vol. 2, Issue 12
Featured articles, blogs and abstracts (click on headline to read full article):
1. Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Peaceful Conflict Resolution Support To Terrorists
2. Opinion: Court’s Humanitarian Law Project Ruling Fails the Common Sense Test
3. Case Background: Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project
4. News Articles, Editorials, and Commentary/Analysis about the HLP decision
5. Audio File: Nonprofit and Legal Experts Provide Response to Court’s Ruling
6. Challenges in Counterterrorism Rules Make Peacebuilding with Listed Groups Difficult
7. Witnesses at Hearing Say Profiling Is Counterproductive to Law Enforcement Goals
8. Former Head of Missouri Charity Pleads Guilty to Violating Sanctions Against Iraq

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State Can't Force Nonprofits to Register as Political Committees

Jul 1, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The New Mexico Independent reports that a federal appeals court upheld a lower-court decision which ruled that forcing two nonprofits to register as political committees was a violation of the groups' free-speech rights.

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New Report Finds that Lobbyists' Deregistration Peaked in 2008

Jun 30, 2010 by Amanda Adams*

The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) released a new report addressing the question of whether federal lobbyists are "deregistering." CRP found that the increase in deregistrations increased before President Barack Obama took office. As it turns out, policies meant to limit lobbyists' influence may not have played as great of a role in deregistrations as originally thought. CRP points out that "the process of deregistering is not straightforward."

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Supreme Court Says States May Disclose Petition Signatories

On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that states may publicly disclose referendum petition signatures. The case, Doe v. Reed, centers on the public's right to know who signed petitions related to Referendum 71, a 2009 attempt to overturn Washington State’s expanded domestic partner law, which gives gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married couples.

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House Passes DISCLOSE Act, Senate Struggle Begins

On June 24, the House passed the DISCLOSE Act by a close, largely party-line vote of 219-206. Supporters praise the bill as a success for transparency, while critics argue that it is an attack on the First Amendment and creates unfair exemptions for groups such as the National Rifle Association. The companion bill in the Senate, S. 3295, must now overcome many obstacles.