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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more news

FEC Complaints Against DSCC Ads

Jul 22, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Hill reports that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is "trying their luck with a series of candidate ads that inhabit a gray area of the law, and observers say the approach could be a game-changer in the continuing battle over campaign finance reform." Campaign finance rules restrict the amount of money the DSCC can spend on coordinated efforts with a campaign, but the DSCC argues that since the ads do not ask the viewers to vote for the candidates, the law does not apply.

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Very Troubling Proposed HHS Rule Places Restrictions on Funding

Jul 22, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Last week, the New York Times reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has drafted regulations that would allow any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman's access to contraception. All grant recipients would have to certify that they will not refuse to hire providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control. According to Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY) the proposed regulation will be released next week.

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House and Senate Release Updated Lobbying Disclosure Guidance

On July 16, the House Clerk and Secretary of the Senate released updated guidance that applies to any organization that registers as a lobbyist under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), as updated by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA). House and Senate leaders directed the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House to rewrite the guidelines in response to complaints about the original guidance.

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Hill Briefing Addresses Impacts of Counterterrorism Measures on Nonprofits

On July 14, Grantmakers Without Borders and OMB Watch released a paper, Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve, and hosted a panel discussing the topic. Six experts all agreed that shortsighted, undemocratic policies are stifling free speech, constraining the critical activities of the charitable and philanthropic sectors, and ultimately impeding the fight against terrorism. OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders were lauded by many speakers and attendees for drawing attention to this issue.

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OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders Releases "Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve"

Jul 18, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

As the result of collaborative research conducted by OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders, Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve has just been released. The paper comprehensively documents the impacts that the war on terror is having on charities, foundations, and underserved populations around the globe.

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Maryland State Police Accused of Spying on Peace Activists

Jul 18, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Washington Post reports that during the administration of former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., undercover Maryland State Police officers monitored the activities of activists against the Iraq war and the death penalty. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland released records with details of the monitoring which they obtained after suing the state police in June to obtain the data.

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Almost Half of the Senate Co-Sponsor of Campaign Finance Disclosure Bill

Jul 18, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

More Senators have signed on as a co-sponsor to the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (S.223). The bill would require Senate candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) make the co-sponsor list total 44, yet a measure with almost half the Senate listed as a cosponsor remains stalled.

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New LDA Guidance, Again

Jul 17, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

After some clamor, on July 16, 2008 the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House issued updated Guidance for the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). Changes were made to the section on Form LD-203, the semiannual filing which individual lobbyists and their employers disclose contributions and other politically related expenditures. The form also has a certification that the filer has read, understands, and has not violated the gift and travel rules. This report is due July 30. The updated Guidance can be found here.

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Some Hiccups in Implementing New Ethics Law

Jul 16, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A National Journal ($$) column titled, "Just The Beginning The Implementation Of Congress' New Ethics Law Has Hit A Number Of Snags," covers some of the various remaining issues of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HLOGA).

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Hostility towards Voter Registration?

Jul 15, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Tampa Tribune has reported on Florida's noncompliance with the National Voter Registration Act's (NVRA) requirement that voter registration be provided at public assistance offices. "Florida is failing to help low-income residents register to vote when they sign up for public assistance, say voting rights advocates who may sue over the issue. [. .

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