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 Open OMB Watch Petition Up For Public Comment

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The FEC Commissioners announced that they would not act this week, but instead take up proposed rules this coming Monday, March 13. The Commissioners voted 4:2 to publish the Notice in the Federal Register and open the Petition up for public comment.

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H.R. 1606 Will See Action Next Week

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

This morning, House Administration Committee unanimously approved H.R. 1606, a bill to exempt blogs, e-mail and other Internet speech from campaign finance regulations. The bill is expected to go to the House floor next week. Reportedly, refomers such as Shays and Meehan are backing an alternate proposal. The House already voted on the bill in early Nov, but it was defeated 225-182 under suspension rules. Members were upset it had been brought up under suspension rules, a process that requires a two-thirds vote for passage and limits debate. It is usually used for noncontroversial measures.

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Frist Pulls Bill After Failed Cloture Vote

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Frist pulled S 2349, the lobby reform bill, from the floor after the Senate failed 51-47 to invoke cloture on the measure.

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OMB Watch to Senate: Support Grassroots and Coalition Transparency

On March 7, OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass sent a letter to Senators, urging them to oppose efforts to scrap new grassroots and coalition reporting requirements in the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act, being debated on the Senate floor. OMB Watch believes these provisions will help level the playing field in Washington and stop wealthy interests who misrepresent their "grassroots" lobbying and coalition activities to the public and to lawmakers.

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Bush Urges More Donations to Faith-Based Organizations

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

From the Washington Post: President Bush today urged large American corporations and foundations to step up contributions to religious charities, noting his administration has been doing exactly that. Federal grants to religious charities totaled $2.1 billion in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, an increase of 7 percent over the previous year, Bush said at the second White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

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Cloture Fails

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Frist couldn't round up enough votes for cloture. He is now changing his vote in the hopes that he can round up enough of an agreement later on from both sides to invoke cloture.

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Likely Reid Will Try To Block Cloture

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, (D-NV) said he is encouraging his caucus to oppose cloture on the pending ethics overhaul bill in an effort to force a vote on a politically unpopular deal to turn operations at six U.S. ports over to a United Arab Emirates-owned company.

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House Rules Hearing on Gifts and Travel

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The House Rules Committee held a hearing on gifts and travel today at 10am.

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Dubai Deal Leads to Frist Filing for Cloture

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

A surprise move by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, (D-N.Y)., to block the Dubai ports deal caused a ruckus on the Senate floor and temporarily derailed debate. The Senate was in the midst of debating an amendment on the lobbying bill when Schumer said he wanted to talk about that amendment. But in a move that blindsided Republicans, Schumer instead offered an amendment to bar the sale.

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Latest Amendments on Lobby Reform

Mar 8, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Latest Amendments: Schumer, (D-N.Y), amendment no. 2959, to amendment no. 2944, to forbid a foreign government that recognizes the Taliban from owning U.S. ports, offered. Wyden, (D-OR), amendment no. 2944, to mandate that "holds" in the Senate be made public, offered. Inhofe, (R-OK), amendment no. 2934, to make members who vote against pay raises inelligable for them should they be enacted, agreed to by voice vote.

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