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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The History of Church Electioneering

Houses of worship have been involved in America's political process since our nation's birth, and they will continue to play an important and increasing role in our society's evolution. The nation's courts and laws have upheld the rights of religious entities--and all charitable organizations--to participate in the political process, while simultaneously upholding the separation of Church and State.

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US Says Saudis Need to Crack Down on Charities

May 26, 2005 by Guest Blogger

According to Reuters, the United States is impatient with Saudi Arabia's delays in establishing a commission to control the flow of charitable funds and keep them out of the hands of terrorists, a senior U.S. official said on Monday. While the Saudis had made "some progress" in cracking down on terrorism financing, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey said "much remains for the Saudis to do." For the full scoop

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Head Start Bill Could Be Comprimised

May 19, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The House Education and the Workforce Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a Head Start reauthorization bill that is likely to encounter tougher passage on the floor because of a partisan dispute. The panel voted 48-0 for the legislation (HR 2123), which would rewrite the guidelines for the $6.8 billion federal child development program that is operated locally by nonprofit organizations and religious charities. Head Start was last reauthorized in 1998 (PL 105-285).

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Bill Would Make Faith-Based Offices Permanent

Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives on March 2 would make the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (H.R. 1054) and ten similar federal agency offices a permanent part of the federal government. The Tools for Community Initiatives Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Green (R-WI), establishes the offices and outlines their responsibilities. It does not include portions of current regulations that address how religious groups handle federal grants.

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May 17,2005 OMB Watcher Articles on Nonprofit Advocacy

May 17, 2005 by Kay Guinane

Headlines. . .

House Members to Offer Bill to Expand Lobbying Disclosure
North Carolina Preacher Accused of Church Politicking Resigns
Conservative Coalition Opposes Further Nonprofit Regulation

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Bush Encourages More Faith-Based Work, Despite Cuts

May 17, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The administration is encouraging faith-based organizations to engaged in a type of "social entrepreneurship". Bush, who says both faith-based and secular groups play a vital role in the difficult task of bringing relief to the distressed and impoverished. But the president's budget proposals say something else when it comes to the nation's fight against poverty.

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Conservative Coalition Opposes Further Nonprofit Regulation

On April 28, a coalition of conservative groups sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) objecting to the Senate Finance Committee's effort to tighten rules governing charities. Shortly after that, the Independent Sector Panel on the Nonprofit Sector released its second set of draft regulations for review and comment by the sector.

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North Carolina Preacher Accused of Church Politicking Resigns

On May 5, nine members of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in North Carolina were excommunicated by their pastor for voting for former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The pastor, Rev. Chan Chandler, allegedly told his congregants that voting for Kerry was against the tenets of the church. The pastor has since resigned from his position. There has been no information whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is looking into the allegations of wrong-doing, although Americans United for Separation of Church and State has requested an investigation.

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House Members to Offer Bill to Expand Lobbying Disclosure

In the wake of allegations of violations of House rules, particularly about lobbyists paying for congressional travel by Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), two Democrats plan to introduce a bill to increase disclosure of federal lobbying and tighten other rules affecting the influence of lobbyists. At the same time, Republicans announced their own plans aimed at tightening and enforcing House ethics rules. However, the Democrats' bill appears to have picked up steam when House Administration Committee Chairman Robert Ney (R-OH) expressed interest in crafting a bipartisan approach to reform.

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Patriot Act Hearings Examine Need for Surveillance Powers

May 16, 2005 by Amanda Adams*

On May 11 the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a public oversight hearing on the PATRIOT Act to consider renewal of the law, including surveillance provisions that have been heavily criticized by civil liberties groups. Testimony from the American Civil Liberties Union detailed examples of abuse of these provisions. Dep. Attorney General James Comey, Jr. testified on the continuing need for these powers. See a summary on the committee website. Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) has introduced alternative legislation, the SAFE Act

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