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

Federal Court Denies Injunction and Upholds Strict Voter Registration Fines in Florida

On Aug. 6, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida denied the League of Women Voters of Florida's (LWVF) request for a preliminary injunction to prevent a harsh voter registration law from taking affect. The law levies substantial fines on organizations that register voters and that do not promptly deliver the completed voter registration forms to the Florida Division of Elections. While the law does prescribe tougher penalties for willful misconduct, it does not grant exemptions for undue hardships or for inadvertent errors.

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Anti-Obama Group Seeks Exemption from Campaign Finance Rules

A new 527 group called The Real Truth About Obama, Inc. (RTAO) has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, VA, against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). RTAO plans to run issue ads examining the Democratic presidential candidate's position on abortion and other policy issues. RTAO argues it is not a political action committee (PAC) because it will not advocate for Obama's defeat or election. The group seeks to prevent the enforcement of several FEC regulations regarding when a group must register as a PAC, as well as the enforcement of federal reporting requirements for political organizations, including 527 groups.

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New Voter Rights Project Provides Access to Legal Documents

Aug 15, 2008 by Lateefah Williams*

The Voter Rights Protection Project, which was recently launched by the Campaign Legal Center, provides legal documents to help protect the right to vote.

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FEC Seeks New Judge Assignment

Aug 14, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A Sept. 10 hearing is scheduled for the Real Truth About Obama Inc.'s (RTAO) lawsuit. RTAO is requesting that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is prohibited from enforcing reporting requirements for independent political groups. The rules being challenged could require a group to disclose its finances, limit contributions to $5,000 per contributor and ban corporate and union money if the group is considered by the FEC to be a "political committee."

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New Congressional Database on Lobbying Contributions

Aug 13, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

BNA Money and Politics ($$) reports on some findings from the new database of lobbyist campaign contributions as required by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. "Lobbyists and the organizations they work for have disclosed nearly 100,000 contributions and other payments linked to members of Congress and other top officials under a new reporting system required by last year's lobbying and ethics reform law."

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Update on VA Policy on Voter Registration, Appeals Court Denies Lawsuit

Aug 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

A federal appeals court issued a decision in Preminger v. Peake upholding the Veterans Administration (VA) policy that bans voter registration drives in its facilities. The court decided that the rule does not violate the First Amendment. Four years ago Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee tried to conduct voter registration at a VA facility and was stopped due to a rule that prohibits partisan political activity at VA hospital. The committee sued in 2004 charging that the policy violated the First Amendment.

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Activists Urge Ex-Offenders with Felony Convictions to Vote

Aug 11, 2008 by Lateefah Williams*

Grassroots activists are urging ex-offenders with felony convictions to vote. A detailed article highlighting the activists' efforts appeared in today's Washington Post. The Post article focuses mainly on efforts to urge ex-offenders in Florida to vote. Ex-offenders in Florida with felony convictions are now eligible to vote thanks to a law passed in 2006, which allows non-violent ex-offenders with felony convictions to vote if they have completed probation, paid restitution, and do not have any charges pending.

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Watchdog Group Files IRS Complaint Against Tennessee Church

Aug 8, 2008 by Lateefah Williams*

Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alleging that Pastor Maury Davis, of Cornerstone Church in Madison, Tennessee, violated federal tax law during an August 3rd sermon when he endorsed three School Board candidates from the pulpit. Federal tax law prohibits tax-exempt charitable organizations from engaging in partisan politics and campaign intervention. The IRS has said in the past that it is stepping up enforcement of the ban.

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Homeless Encounter Hurdles When Registering to Vote

Aug 8, 2008 by Lateefah Williams*

Homeless citizens encounter hurdles that can make registering to vote a difficult process. They often have problems establishing residency. Adding to these obstacles are new voter identification requirements that are gaining ground across the country. It is often difficult for homeless citizens to maintain identification because they are transient, their belongings are sometimes destroyed, and they are sometimes subjected to police sweeps. Thus, many homeless citizens do not have birth certificates or identification cards.

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No Appeal to FEC Coordination Rules Decision

Aug 8, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

In June a federal appeals court struck down Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules dealing with coordination rules between candidates and outside groups. Reportedly, the FEC has not appealed the court decision ordering a rewrite of the rules. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), "FEC Chairman Donald McGahn indicated at a commission meeting July 28 that the FEC could consider issuing advisory rulings on pressing issues in the run-up to the November election, including questions about permissible pre-election activity that may have been raised by the Shays III ruling.

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