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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Lobbying for Recovery Act Funding Restricted

On April 7, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued interim guidance on how to comply with President Barack Obama’s March 20 memorandum that restricts contact between registered lobbyists and executive branch officials regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Legal Services Corporation Changes Introduced

Momentum is growing for Congress to eliminate severe restrictions on legal aid programs that receive Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funds. LSC programs are currently prohibited from engaging in certain activities such as lobbying, participating in agency rulemaking, and bringing class-action lawsuits. The new congressional efforts come as reports show how the restrictions have harmed home foreclosure prevention efforts.

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Judge Rejects DOJ's Claims of Secrecy in Wiretapping Case

Apr 21, 2009 by Suraj Sazawal

On Friday April 17 Judge Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern California District ordered the government to meet with attorneys representing the charity, Al-Haramain, and either agree on a protective order that would safeguard classified information, or submit a statement to the court detailing where they agree and cannot agree. Where there is disagreement, each party is required to state their position.

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Will Obama's Presidency Impact Key Voting Rights Case?

Apr 17, 2009 by Lateefah Williams*

Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder, a U.S. Supreme Court case where Texas is challenging Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, is scheduled for oral arguments on April 29. Section 5, which was reauthorized in 2006, applies to all or part of 16 states and it applies to nine states in their entirety. It requires those states to get federal approval before changing election rules or procedures, as a result of past laws and practices that discriminated against and disenfranchised racial minorities.

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The FEC Supports the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act

Apr 17, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) released their 2009 legislative priorities which includes four recommendations. Of these four, the FEC considers electronic filing of Senate campaign finance reports to be a priority. OMB Watch has supported this for years, and most recently with the introduction of S. 482. You can help by calling your senators and asking them to cosponsor the bill.

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Some Agencies Disclose Communications with Lobbyists

Apr 17, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

The Office of Management and Budget's guidance on implementing the president's March 20th memo regarding communications with lobbyists is being criticized as still too restrictive. According to The Hill, "the guidance has not lessened the worries of the coalition of groups that have campaigned against the restrictions."

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Frustration Toward FBI Boils Over for American Muslim Groups

Months of deteriorating relationships between the FBI and major American Muslim organizations came to a head when revelations of a FBI informant posing as a convert in mosques became public in February 2009. The incident, combined with the FBI's disengagement from communications with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has lead several American Muslim advocacy groups to consider a suspension of ongoing outreach with the FBI. The growing tension was raised during a Senate hearing where FBI Director Robert Mueller was questioned about the Bureau's conduct about investigating Muslim organizations.

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Lobbying and Ethics Executive Order Should be Amended

Apr 15, 2009 by Amanda Adams*

OMB Watch has signed on to a letter requesting that the administration amend the Jan. 21 executive order putting in place restrictions on lobbyists who work for the federal government. Expressing frustration with the new rules, the letter urges the White House to focus on the influence of money and isolate public interest lobbying.

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House Hearing on Fusion Centers; ACLU Calls for DHS Investigation

A Congressional hearing on fusion centers (state-based information sharing collaborations between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies) heard several witnesses who acknowledged that privacy and civil liberties problems in fusion center operations must be addressed. One witness said these problems are so severe that the fusion centers should be closed. On the same day, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called on DHS to probe five fusion center investigations involving free speech activities of advocacy and religious groups.

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Maryland Lawmakers Limit Covert Police Surveillance

Responding to the outcry over covert police surveillance of peaceful activists' meetings, Maryland lawmakers voted on March 24, 2009 in favor of a bill to protect residents from having authorities violate their First Amendment rights. The House of Delegates and Senate approved similar bills and Governor Martin O'Malley has expressed his commitment to signing the legislation into law.

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