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

Statements From Finance Cmte Hearing on Web

Apr 6, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Senate Finance Committee posted the testimony from yesterday's hearing on nonprofit revenue-raisers and accountabilty. Sens. Schumer and Santorum had some interesting remarks noting that some of the accountabilty measures will be unduly burdensome on small nonprofits. Santorum raised the additional point that it is uncertain whether more vigilant enforcement by the IRS would make nonprofits more accountable. Hopefully, they will continue to stand their ground as legislation moves forward.

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Listen Live Now!

Apr 5, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Listen live to Senate Finance Hearing NOW! SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE Charitable Giving Reform Full committee hearing on "Charities and Charitable Giving: Proposals for Reform." Witnesses: IRS Commissioner Mark Everson; George Yin, chief of staff, Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation; Leon Panetta, director, Panetta Institute for Public Policy; Jane Gravelle, senior specialist in economic policy, Congressional Research Service; Richard Johnson, member, Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis, PLLC, Nashville, Tenn.; Mike Hatch, Minnesota attorney general,

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NCRP Offers Critique of IS' Recommendations

Apr 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The nation's only philanthropic watchdog, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), today issued a critique of proposals on charitable accountability that are being considered by the Senate Finance Committee on April 5th. "Despite having raised more than $3 million to support their work, a panel of nonprofit leaders has generated paltry and picayune accountability recommendations that will accomplish little or nothing to cure the accountability problems facing the nonprofit sector", observed Rick Cohen, NCRP's Executive Director. Check out the critique.

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Doggett Introduces Lobby Disclosure Bills

On March 13, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) introduced two versions of his "Stealth Lobbyist Disclosure Act of 2005" (H.R. 1302), a proposed amendment of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), and H.R. 1304, which modifies the Internal Revenue Code to treat lobbying coalitions as political organizations under Section 527 of the tax code and require more disclosure of their lobbying activities. H.R. 1302

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Florida Church Is Subject of IRS Inquiry for Political Activities

On Feb. 15, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified a Liberty City, FL, church that it is under investigation for engaging in partisan political activity. The investigation stems from an October 2004 appearance at a service by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). If the church is found to have engaged in prohibited political activity, it could lose its tax-exempt status.

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Santorum Amendment Encourages Relief for Charitable Giving

On March 1, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced an amendment to the 2006 Senate Budget Resolution. The amendment, a "Sense of the Senate" about charitable giving, notes the bipartisan popularity of the 2003 Charity Aid, Relief and Empowerment Act (CARE Act). The amendment passed by unanimous consent.

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FEC Seeks Comment on Internet Regulation

Under orders from a federal court to reconsider its exemption of Internet communications from campaign finance regulations, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) proposed new rules on March 24, seeking public comment on a variety of issues. The proposed rules, which provide more questions than answers, were preceded by an outcry from bloggers, members of Congress and others concerned about possible over-regulation of Internet political activity. Comments are due in late May and a public hearing will be held in later June.

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CFC Shifts Position on Terrorist List Checking

In a proposed regulation published in the Federal Register on March 29, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) shifted its position away from last year's requirement that participating charities check their employee's names against government terrorist watch lists. Instead, the proposed rule uses a certification that charities are in compliance with the law. The proposed rule appears to be a major step in the right direction. Public comments are due in late May.

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Membership Group Created to Help Islamic Charities

Apr 4, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Interesting article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy regarding financial and governmental accountability for Muslim charities. To help promote charitable giving by Muslim Americans and other donors, a group of nonprofit organizations are forming a membership association that will set financial and governance standards for Islamic charities. For the full scoop

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Post Story About GOP and Assocations

Apr 1, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Fortune 500 companies that invested millions of dollars in electing Republicans are emerging as the earliest beneficiaries of a government controlled by President Bush and the largest GOP House and Senate majority in a half century. For the full story

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