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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Summary of Combined Federal Campaign Regulations

5 CFR Part 950- Solicitation of Federal Civilian and Uniformed Service Personnel for Contributions to Private Voluntary Organizations

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Update on Elections and Nonprofit Advocacy

Complaints filed against Jerry Falwell Ministries at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) allege that the organization illegally endorsed President Bush and solicited donations for a conservative political action committee. A bill to repeal the electioneering communications blackout of broadcasts referring to federal candidates within 60 days of an election or 30 days of a primary or convention is introduced in the Senate, as the Wisconsin Right to Life Committee sues to overturn application of the rule to their grassroots lobbying ads

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Uniform Financial Guidelines for Government Grants Proposed

A coalition of nonprofits has published draft Uniform Data Elements and Definitions for Grant Budgeting and Financial Reporting" for use by government grantees as part of the federal grant streamlining process. The coalition is seeking comments from nonprofits and their accountants by September 30. After the guidelines are modified to incorporate input a new version will be released for field-testing, and all grantees will be urged to try them.

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Senate Finance Committee Asked to Consider Financial Burden of Reform Proposals

Comments by lawyers and accountants to the Senate Finance Committee at a July 22 Roundtable pointed out the financial and administrative burdens some staff reform proposals could impose on nonprofits. Some comments targeted a proposed IRS five-year review of each organization's tax-exempt status.

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Muslim Charity Says FBI Fabricated Evidence, 8 Indicted

On July 26, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the nation's largest Muslim charity, sent a letter to the Department of Justice Inspector General to investigate FBI's handling of case, alleging "materially misleading" evidence. Later the same day the Justice Department unsealed an indictment of the charity and seven top officials, charging material support of Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, and money laundering.

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Terror Prevention and Nonprofits: CFC Policy Raises Concerns about Chilling Impact

The Director of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) announced July 31 that participating organizations have an affirmative obligation to check government terror watch lists in order to comply with a certification they are required to sign that they do not support terrorism. The statement prompted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to withdraw from the fund.

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Charities Urge CFC: Change Misguided Terror List Rule

STATEMENT OF OMB WATCH: August 6, 2004
OMB Watch joins coalition of nonprofits in urging the Combined Federal Campaign to alter its new policy interpretation, which requires nonprofits to screen employees according to government blacklists and erodes basic democratic principles. Full statement (.pdf)Coalition list and release.

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Estate Tax Repeal Would Hurt Charitable Giving, New CBO Reports Say

Two new studies by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) find that a permanent repeal of the federal estate tax would greatly reduce charitable giving. The CBO estimated that overall charitable giving would decline between 6 and 12 percent, and the decline in charitable bequests would range from 20 to 30 percent, if the estate tax were fully repealed. Download full press release (.pdf)

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JEC Press Release Misinterprets Evidence on Charitable Bequests

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2004 - The majority leadership of the Joint Economic Committee, in a recent press release dated July 28, 2004, pointed to an increase in charitable bequest giving as evidence that changes to the estate tax law have not impacted giving. Download Full Release (.pdf)

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Senate Finance Committee Holds Charities Roundtable

On July 22 the Senate Finance Committee held a closed door roundtable discussion with leaders and experts on the charitable sector to discuss a bipartisan staff proposal for reforms.

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more resources

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

Summary of Combined Federal Campaign Regulations

Update on Elections and Nonprofit Advocacy

Uniform Financial Guidelines for Government Grants Proposed

Senate Finance Committee Asked to Consider Financial Burden of Reform Proposals

Muslim Charity Says FBI Fabricated Evidence, 8 Indicted

Terror Prevention and Nonprofits: CFC Policy Raises Concerns about Chilling Impact

Charities Urge CFC: Change Misguided Terror List Rule

Estate Tax Repeal Would Hurt Charitable Giving, New CBO Reports Say

JEC Press Release Misinterprets Evidence on Charitable Bequests

Senate Finance Committee Holds Charities Roundtable

Pages

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us

Blowing Smoke: Chemical Companies Say “Trust Us,” But Environmental and Workplace Safety Violations Belie Their Rhetoric

Gasping for Support: Implementation of Tougher Air Quality Standards Will Require New Funds for State Agencies

Citizen Health & Safety Topics

Recent Reports

Living in the Shadow of Danger: State Scorecards

Living in the Shadow of Danger: Poverty, Race, and Unequal Chemical Facility Hazards

A Tale of Two Retirements: One for CEOs and One for the Rest of Us