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

Voter Bounty Registration Act of 2007

Jan 24, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

H.R.301, the Voter Bounty Registration Act of 2007, was introduced in the House by Rep. Pierce (R-NM) to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and has seemingly gone under the radar. It seems passage of such a measure would greatly inhibit the ability of nonpartisan organizations from carrying out voter registration drives, placing strict standards on the distribution of application forms.

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For Clarification OMB Watch Proposes Revisions to Grassroots Disclosure Amendment

Jan 24, 2007 by Kay Guinane

After removal of the grassroots lobbying disclosure provision from S.1 (see more here) and the widespread confusion and misinformation about the measure, OMB Watch has proposed revisions meant to clarify the impact of the proposal. Now that the issue of lobbying disclosure has moved to the House, we hope this revision clarifies the intent of grassroots lobbying disclosure proposal.

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No Pensions for Convicted Lawmakers

Jan 23, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The House has passed a bill today that would strip pensions from any member of Congress "who is convicted of any of certain offenses committed by that individual while serving as a member of Congress, and for other purposes." No one voted against HR 476, especially after the scandals of the previous Congress. A similar measure is included in the Senate ethics and lobbying reform bill that passed late last week.

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OMB Watch Proposal: Revise Grassroots Disclosure Amendment to the LDA

OMB Watch has proposed a revised version of the grassroots lobbying disclosure provision that was dropped from S. 1, the Senate's ethics and lobbying reform bill. The text of the proposed amendment to the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) follows a short explanation.

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Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Ban on Broadcasts (Again)

The long-running debate over whether grassroots lobbying broadcasts should be exempt from the federal ban on "electioneering communications" may finally be resolved in 2007. On Jan. 19, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life during its current term, making a final decision before the 2008 elections likely. The case challenges the McCain-Feingold campaign finance rule barring corporations, including nonprofits, from paying for broadcasts that mention federal candidates 60 days before a general election or 30 days before a primary. The Supreme Court decision is likely to determine how the Federal Election Commission (FEC) uses its power to create exemptions to the rule and may generate action in Congress as well.

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Misinformation Campaign Defeats Grassroots Lobbying Disclosure in Senate

When the Senate passed S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, on Jan. 18, it left out a provision that would have required big dollar federal grassroots lobbying campaigns to disclose their spending and the identity of their clients. The provision was taken out after an intensive campaign by opponents that was primarily based on inaccurate information or interpretations that were at odds with the stated intentions of the sponsors.

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2006 Form 990 Instructions

Jan 23, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will post on its website instructions for the 2006 Form 990 used by exempt organizations to report their revenues.

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Senate Passes Ethics and Lobbying Reform Bill

On Jan. 18, the Senate passed its first major piece of legislation, S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007. The sweeping measure covers congressional travel, gifts, and lobbying activity and increases disclosure. However, senators rejected proposals to create an independent ethics panel and to require big dollar grassroots lobbying campaigns to disclose their spending. Grassroots lobbying disclosure and other proposals now move to the House, which has passed its own ethics rules, but has yet to act on amending the Lobbying Disclosure Act. Travel and Gifts

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Stay Exempt

Jan 22, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it has launched a new website offering tax-exempt organizations free online training workshops covering tax compliance issues geared towards small and mid-sized exempt organizations. The website, "Stay Exempt - Tax Basics for 501(c)(3)s," has five interactive tutorials. These topics include keeping your tax-exempt status, employment issues, unrelated business income, form 990, and required disclosures.

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Wisconsin Right to Life Case to be Considered by Supreme Court

Jan 22, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

As anticipated, the Supreme Court will consider the Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) case this term. The case deals with the ban on corporate and union funding of ads mentioning federal candidates 60 days before a general election, or 30 days before a primary. In December a three-judge court ruled that the WRTL ads in contention were constitutionally protected from the ban. The ruling was appealed, sending the case back to the Supreme Court to be considered this term, as of Friday's decision.

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