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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ACLU Report Calls for Oversight, Overhaul of Patriot Act

Reclaiming Patriotism: A Call to Reconsider the Patriot Act was published by the ACLU on March 11, 2009. It urges Congress and the public to take advantage of the opportunity created by the expiration of three surveillance provisions in December 2009 to "thoroughly evaluate all Patriot Act authorities –as well as any other post 9/11 domestic intelligence programs – and to rescind, repeal or modify provisions that are unused, ineffective or prone to abuse." The report cites surveillance programs and the overbroad definition of material support of terrorism, which inhibits legitimate charitable work, as primary provisions for review and revision. It also makes specific recommendations for reform.

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OMB Attempts to Explain Lobbyist Communication Rules

Apr 13, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

On April 7 the Office of Management and Budget issued Interim guidance to help employees comply with the March 20 memorandum that put in place restrictions on communications between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the economic stimulus package.

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Report: Afghanistan: Humanitarianism Under Threat

As the Obama administration heightens military and humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, a new briefing paper links the success of national reconstruction to maintaining a demonstrable separation between humanitarian groups and the military. Presenting information collected over several years, Afghanistan: Humanitarianism Under Threat, written by Antonio Donini of the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, calls for swift action to prevent the misperceptions of local populations that result in violence toward aid workers and volunteers who are working for their benefit.

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Is the Time Ripe for Clear IRS Rules on Political Activity?

Apr 10, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

A BNA Money and Politics ($$) report addressed a Feb. 20 technical advice memorandum (TAM 200908050) discussing whether a 501(c)(3) organization had intervened in a political campaign by including partisan content from an affiliated 501(c)(4) on its website.

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Public Could Track Lobbying Meetings with Proposed Website

Apr 9, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

A new proposed tool from the Sunlight Foundation could be used to accomplish President Obama's goal of increasing government transparency. According to the Sunlight Foundation, the executive branch could create a website aggregating the disclosure of meetings between government officials and lobbyists.

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IRS Unsure When PACI Report Will be Released

Apr 8, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) annual report on the political activity compliance initiative project (PACI) for the 2008 campaign season "is in abeyance." The PACI report details cases that were examined for any possible campaign intervention.

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New Lobbyist Disclosure at OpenSecrets.org

Apr 8, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Center for Responsive Politics has a new database where you can track the number of lobbyists that reported lobbying on a piece of legislation back to 2005. The database is searchable by a bill's name, description, or number.

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Recovery Act Memo May Restrict Free Speech Rights

On March 20, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum stating that federally registered lobbyists cannot verbally communicate with executive branch officials regarding specific projects to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Instead, lobbyists must submit their views in writing. The goal of preventing stimulus funds from being spent based on influence or "on the basis of factors other than the merits" is widely seen as laudable. However, many are charging that the rules are a violation of lobbyists' First Amendment right to petition the government.

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James Madison Center Files Suit Against IRS over Electioneering Rules

The James Madison Center (the Center) filed two federal lawsuits on April 3 challenging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) definition of "political intervention." In Christian Coalition of Florida v. USA, the Center charges that the Christian Coalition of Florida (CC-FL) was denied 501(c)(4) status by the IRS because the agency claimed CC-FL engaged in activities that constitute political intervention. In the second lawsuit, Catholic Answers and Karl Keating v. USA, the Center is assisting a 501(c)(3) organization that is challenging a fine imposed by the IRS after the agency determined two "e-letters" posted in 2004 were "political expenditures" that might have influenced the presidential election.

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Citizens United Case Offers Insight on Court's Approach to Campaign Finance Law

On March 24, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), a case that could overturn or limit portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), commonly called the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Citizens United, a 501(c)(4) organization, produced a 90-minute film, Hillary: The Movie, which was highly critical of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The case challenges as unconstitutional FEC electioneering communications rules as applied to the movie and to ads promoting the movie. It also challenges as unconstitutional donor disclosure rules as applied to the ads.

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