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

Summary of Senate Hearing on 527s

On March 8, 2005 the Senate Rules Committee held a hearing to consider the 527 Reform Act of 2005 (S. 271). While not heavily attended by committee members, the hearing revealed the complexity of issues raised by the proposed extension of federal election regulations to independent political committees (527s). The testimony and questions from Senators highlighted the likely consequences of passing the bill in its current form, including migration of soft money to 501(c) groups, who, unlike 527s, do not disclose donors.

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IRS Asking Justice Department to Step in on NAACP Audit

The Internal Revenue Service is referring to the Justice Department the refusal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to respond to an IRS summons, according to BNA. The case arose in the fall of 2004 when the IRS notified the NAACP it was conducting an examination into whether a speech by Chairman Julian Bond that criticized policies of President Bush constituted prohibited campaign intervention.

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Study Shows Business Outspends Nonprofits 5-1 on Issue Ads

The Annenberg Public Policy Center has published new research examining legislative issue ads, focusing on the Washington, DC, area during the 108th Congress. They found "Corporate interests outspent citizen/cause interests by more than five to one," and that advertising on many issues was one-sided. Not surprisingly, the side that spent more was more likely to have a favorable outcome.

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Bush Budget Fails to Support Non-itemizer Deduction

The Bush Administration has indicated that it will no longer push for passage of the non-itemizer deduction, even as a new study shows the provision would increase charitable giving. However, the non-itemizer provision remains a centerpiece of legislation introduced by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and a priority for Republican leadership.

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Court Says AmeriCorps Teachers in Catholic Schools Allowed to Receive Subsidies

On March 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that taxpayer funds can subsidize volunteer instructors that teach in religious schools. The ruling reversed a July 2, 2004 decision by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler, who admonished the government for failing to monitor programs sufficiently to ensure compliance with the law and called the line between secular and religious activities "completely blurred." The American Jewish Congress (AJC) may appeal the decision.

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OMB Rejects Findings on Propaganda Using Federal Funds

On Feb. 17, David M. Walker, the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Comptroller General, issued a letter to all federal agencies reminding them that Congress banned use of federal funds for propaganda, and during 2004 “several prepackaged news stories produced and distributed by certain government agencies violated this prohibition.” On March 11, the Bush administration rejected these findings by sending a contradictory memo to agency heads.

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527 Reform Legislation Heats Up in the Senate

On March 8, the Senate Rules Committee held a hearing to consider the 527 Reform Act of 2005 (S. 271). The hearing revealed the complexity of issues raised by the proposed extension of federal election regulations to independent political committees (527s). The testimony and questions from senators highlighted the likely consequences of passing the bill in its current form, including migration of soft money to 501(c) groups, who, unlike 527s, do not disclose donors.

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Florida Spends More on Faith-Based Initiative

Mar 21, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Florida is making a leap in faith-based initiatives, carving out more state and federal money for religious groups, even as the state awaits word from the Florida Supreme Court on whether one of its largest programs breaches the constitutional prohibition against government funding of religion. Check out the article.

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New GAO Report Tells HHS/ACF to Fix Accountability Measures

Mar 21, 2005 by Guest Blogger

A February review of the Head Start program, one of the largest federal early childhood programs, showed that the program is prone to wastefulness and inferior service due to the lack of federal oversight. The Government Accountability Office ("GAO"), who conducted the review, recommended that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) develop a comprehensive risk assessment of the Head Start program and improve the processes it currently uses to collect information on program risks. GAO report on HHS Grantee Accountability The Head Start Bureau National Head Start Association

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