Protecting Nonprofit Rights

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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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New Paper Offers Comprehensive Analysis of War on Terror's Toll on Charities, Foundations

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2008—OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders today released a paper that comprehensively documents the impacts that the war on terror is having on charities, foundations, and underserved populations around the globe. Titled Collateral Damage: How the War on Terror Hurts Charities, Foundations, and the People They Serve, the paper makes clear that shortsighted, undemocratic policies are constraining the critical activities of the charitable and philanthropic sectors, stifling free speech, and ultimately impeding the fight against terrorism.

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FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Signed Into Law

Jul 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a new federal wiretapping law, the FISA Amendments Act (HR 6304) by a vote of 69-28. President Bush signed the bill into law on July 10. Existing lawsuits against telecom companies that assisted with the administration's warrantless wiretap program would be waived if a federal district court ruled that there was "substantial evidence" that the companies received written assurances that the program was authorized by the president. Amendments that would have limited the companies' ability to gain immunity from lawsuits failed.

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Smith Campaign Files FEC Complaint, Issue Ad or Campaign Ad?

Jul 11, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The campaign of Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) claiming his Democratic opponent, Jeff Merkley, and the Democratic Party are attempting to circumvent campaign finance law. Two television commercials have Merkely discussing his work on veterans' issues paid for by the Oregon Democratic Party with help from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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Yes, the NAACP Still Can't Endorse Candidates

Jul 10, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The Baltimore Sun has highlighted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the fact that it is not allowed to engage in partisan politics, not surprising, as all 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from doing so. "Individually, many NAACP members have lauded Obama's nomination as a victory for racial progress.

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New Lobbying Disclosure Rules Cause Confusion

Jul 10, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Legal counsel that represents labor and nonprofit organizations that register under the Lobby Disclosure Act (LDA) have written to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House regarding the LD-203 Contributions Reporting System and the new LDA guidance. They are concerned that the new guidance "misinterprets" the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA), and are concerned that it will "chill ordinary interaction and association with Members of Congress and impose undue and unreasonable recordkeeping and reporting burdens on registrants and their employed lobbyists."

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Gary Bass Featured in Philanthropy News Digest on the Support of Nonprofit Advocacy

Jul 8, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

Philanthropy News Digest had a "5 Questions For" column with OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass. The questions addressed nonprofit advocacy, particularly how philanthropic support of advocacy is changing. During which, Bass commends a new report on the topic from Atlantic Philanthropies. He states that a question that continues to stir confusion is whether you can still lobby if you receive public-sector funds and questions on nonpartisan voter engagement.

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Audit Faults IRS Political Activities Enforcement

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released an audit report on June 18 that found Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees have an inconsistent understanding of prohibited political intervention by charities and religious organizations. It also found the IRS has not been timely in evaluating cases under investigation. The report acknowledged improved educational efforts but failed to recognize the inherent difficulty in explaining the overly vague "facts and circumstances" test the IRS uses to determine if prohibited partisan activity has occurred.

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Past, Future of Faith-Based Initiative in the News

A late June conference sponsored by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) featured a speech by President Bush praising the faith-based initiative as "one of the most important initiatives of this Administration." On July 1, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama announced his plan to restructure the program, criticizing lack of funds for the current effort and promising to bar religious hiring discrimination for federally funded positions. The next day, Republican presidential candidate John McCain issued a statement disagreeing with Obama on the hiring issue.

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Court Ruling Shows Surveillance Bill Flaws

Jul 6, 2008 by Kay Guinane

A blog posting on the Electronic Frontier Foundation site explains What The New NSA Spying Decision Means for the Immunity Debate. It was posted by Kevin Bankston, who says: With the Senate poised to vote on the FISA Amendments Act and immunity this Tuesday, this decision is particularly timely, as it demolishes key arguments made by proponents of telecom immunity: It goes on to list seven myths about the surveillance bill compromise, and gives the facts, based on the court decision. This is a must read for understanding the confusing debate around the FISA bill.

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Court Rules in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation Case

Jul 3, 2008 by Amanda Adams*

The New York Times reports that in Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Bush, a federal judge for the Northern District of California ruled that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) preempts the state secrets privilege. Al-Haramain sued the government after receiving a document proving they were subject to warrantless surveillance.

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Resources & Research

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

People of color and people living in poverty, especially poor children of color, are significantly more likely...

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

The 100 largest CEO retirement funds are worth a combined $4.9 billion, equal to the entire retirement account savings of 41 percent of American fam...

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

Large chemical companies a...

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

New scientific research shows that the current levels of...

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