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...

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

IRS investigates pastor supporting Huckabee

Feb 14, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The IRS is investigating a California pastor's involvement in the presidential campaign of Republican Mike Huckabee. Pastor Wiley Drake, of Buena Park First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, California received a letter from the IRS stating, "Because a reasonable belief exists that the Church has engage in political activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status as a church under section 501(a), this letter is notice of the beginning of a church tax inquiry described in IRC section 7611(a)." The Alliance Defense Fund is serving as Mr. Drake's counsel in the matter.

read in full

OMB Watch up for Online Advocacy Award

Feb 13, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Do you like OMB Watch? Would you like to boost our fragile self-esteem? Then please vote for us in the Golden Dot Awards, presented annually for excellence in online campaigning by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University. OMB Watch has been nominated for Best Issue Advocacy Blog. The nomination is for all three of our blogs: Advocacy Blog, Budget Blog, and Reg•Watch. Vote here: polc.ipdi.org/GoldenDots/voting.htm (OMB Watch has the utmost respect for the other candidates and has vowed to run a clean campaign.)

read in full

Ohio Court Prohibits Harmful Rules for Third Party Voter Registration Efforts

Feb 13, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

In Ohio, a federal judge has upheld a previous decision to ban certain restrictions on "third party" voter registration activities. A coalition of voter advocacy groups led by Project Vote sued the state challenging an Ohio law that required compensated voter registration workers register with the state after completing an on-line training course and had to turn in voter registration applications directly to the secretary of state or local board of elections. Any violation would result in criminal charges.

read in full

Senate Passes FISA Bill Protecting Phone Companies

Feb 13, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

As expected, the Senate passed a measure to revise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), S.2248, granting retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications companies that helped with warrantless surveillance. After weeks of debate and votes on amendments, the bill remains basically the same as it did when passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. None of the amendments passed that would have in any way reduced executive spying powers.

read in full

Discussion on the 2008 Election

Feb 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Kay Guinane, director of nonprofit speech rights for OMB Watch and Laurette Edelmann, assistant director of the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, discussed the 2008 election and its impact on philanthropy. Read the transcript of the online discussion here.

read in full

Legislation to Regulate Robocalls

Feb 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Arlen Specter, (R-PA) have introduced legislation to regulate "robocalls." Feinstein's press release states; "The measure introduced by Feinstein and Specter would not ban robocalls, but instead places sensible restrictions on how and when the calls can be made — including limiting the hours within which calls can be made, limiting the number of calls that can be made to each household, and requiring callers to identify themselves at the beginning of the call."

read in full

Citizens United Case

Feb 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Another case is on "the fast track." The Supreme Court's online docket shows that the Citizens United motion to expedite the case is on the Court's conference agenda for February 15.

read in full

Lawsuit Challenging Lobbying Disclosure Law Could Be Decided by April

Feb 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) lawsuit that is trying to block enforcement of a disclosure provision of the new lobbying and ethics law, has in fact been put on a fast-track schedule that could lead to a court decision before the first disclosure reports are due on April 21. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in a court order filed Feb. 8 that a briefing schedule was agreed on that ends in March. All parties agreed to convert the application for a preliminary injunction to a request for a decision on the merits.

read in full

Should the IRS Facts and Circumstances Test be Reevaluated after new FEC Electioneering Rule

Feb 12, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

An article in BNA Money and Politics ($$) addresses "whether the Internal Revenue Service [IRS] needs to focus so heavily on facts and circumstances as the primary test to determine if the groups have violated prohibited political activity rules" and the complexities that arise given the new Federal Election Commission (FEC) electioneering communications rule that allows nonprofits to broadcast issue ads that mention a candidate during periods before an election as long the funding of the ads are disclosed.

read in full

Check out This Great Tutorial to Be Ready for the Election

Feb 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

An online tutorial has been created on how to engage with congressional level politics, leading a step by step tour through web sites. For example, the tutorial starts with the fundamentals; "Can I Vote?" directs the visitor to their state's Secretary of State's web site, and then if they need to register, another site is also provided. Subsequently the next web sites include biographical information on the candidates and members of Congress, candidate platforms, incumbent voting records, and campaign contributions.

read in full