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

Dec 15, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The Pew Foundation held its annual forum on the Faith Based Initiative on Thursday, December 9. For the transcripts from that event, visit the Religion and Social Policy website.

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Dec 15, 2004 by Guest Blogger

The nonprofit blog was mentioned recently in The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness' WatchDog Watch blog. Click here to read the entry. In the entry, WatchDog Watch accused OMB Watch of not blogging on conservative nonprofit issues, yet calling itself nonpartisan. I welcome Winston's e-mails on exactly what comprises a conservative nonprofit issue, since any issue that effects 501(c)(3)s ends up touching all of nonprofits.

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United Way State of Caring Index Shows Drop

Dec 15, 2004 by Kay Guinane

United Way's State of Caring Index dropped for the second year in a row, dropping 4.8 percent since 2000 and 1.3 percent from the prior year.

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Tax code and Nonprofits

Dec 14, 2004 by Guest Blogger

FYI - There is a great article in the Wall Street Journal that cuts right to the heart of the question of issue advoacy and nonprofits during election time.

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Civic Engagement Conference Summary-Return the Charity to the Citizen!

The National Conference on Citizenship, held Dec. 3 in Washington, DC, examined the role of citizenship in the post-9/11 world. The conference provided a forum to discuss the important role nonprofits play in encouraging citizenship. Read more for a summary of points made at the conference. The conference theme was highlighted by John DiIulio, Jr., former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, who moderated a panel discussion on nonprofits and citizenship in front of 500 educators and nonprofit leaders.

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Nonprofit Accountability Update

Reports of financial scandals and the emergence of many new nonprofits have increased scrutiny of the nonprofit sector. The Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees both held hearings in June that put nonprofits under the spotlight, and more congressional oversight activity is planned. Moreover, calls for greater nonprofit accountability are coming not only from the federal government, but also from state legislatures.

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Law Symposium Exposes Weaknesses of Anti-Terrorist Guidelines for Nonprofits

A recent Pace Law Review Symposium, “Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: The Impact on International Philanthropy,” highlighted the need for changes in the government guidelines and increased transparency of the reasons behind government decisions to shut down several Muslim charities accused of financing terrorists. The U.S. Treasury Department published the guidelines, which have been widely criticized, in November 2002.

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ACLU Files Info Request on Government Spying on Nonprofits

The Dec. 1 issue of USA Today reports the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to learn the extent of “surveillance, questioning and interrogation” of people associated with activist groups and individuals traveling to and from the Middle East. The request focuses on the activities of anti-terrorist task forces in ten states, including Arizona, California, Colorado and Texas.

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AU Sues to Block Funding for California Missions

On Dec. 2, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a lawsuit in federal court to block taxpayer funding for restoration of mission churches in California. The suit charges that the recently passed “California Missions Preservation Act” is tantamount to taxpayer-supported religion. The bill, signed by President Bush on Nov. 30, requires the Secretary of the Interior, currently Gale Norton, to make grants of up to $10 million to the California Missions Foundation to repair the missions and their artifacts. Many of these artifacts are religious symbols and artwork.

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Watch! Conference on Faith-Based Programs

Dec 13, 2004 by Guest Blogger

In Washington, DC, on December 9, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government held a conference on "2005 & Beyond: Next Steps for Faith-Based Social Services." Part one, “State of the Law 2004” features Ira Lupu, Professor at The George Washington University Law School, and Robert Tuttle, Professor at The George Washington University Law School. Part two “2005 and Beyond: Next Steps for Faith-Based Social Services” features James Towey, White House Deputy Assistant to the President, and Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and Representative Chet Edwards(D-TX), and Stanley Carlson-Thies from The Center for Public Justice. Part three “The Public View of Faith” features Jason DeParle from The New York Times, Barbara Bradley Hagerty from NPR, and Adelle Banks from the Religion News Service, and Alan Cooperman from the Washington Post. Watch the conference!

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