527s Breathe Sigh of Relief

Jun 5, 2006 by Guest Blogger

From Roll Call: Now that the Federal Election Commission last week opted not to take its rules on 527 political groups back to the drawing table, most of these groups are expressing satisfaction with the decision. And, some say, they can move ahead with activities without fear of having the FEC rules change on them as the 2006 election approaches.

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Reformers Ask for Real Lobby Reform

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

A coalition of reform groups issued a statement today, saying: Regardless of whether a conference report passes, furthermore, the House and Senate must go back to square one and produce real, not cosmetic, reforms to address the worst congressional corruption scandals in decades. They also noted that they will continue to press for real reform, regardless of what does or doesn't come out of conference. For the text of the letter

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Court Denies Christian Civic League's Motion

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

On May 31, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the Christian Civic League of Maine’s (CCLM) motion to stay proceedings in CCLM v. FEC. A motion to stay proceedings freezes/suspends the proceedings in a case, usually allowing for one of the parties to correct an action that the court has required them to perform.On May 9, court denied the CCLM's request for a preliminary injunction. The court reasoned that CCLM could have paid for the ad out of their PAC funds, or taken Sen. Snowe's name, who is up for reelection, out of the ad.

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Lobby Reform Takes Backseat to Election Year Legislation

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

While serious - or any - negotiations have yet to begin on lobby reform legislation passed by both the House and the Senate over a month ago, the Senate is preparing to focus on inflammatory issues designed to rally its base. Up next for the Senate:votes aimed at blocking gay marriage, banning flag burning and repealing the estate tax.

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Commentary on Recent IRS Comments

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Insightful commentary on the recent IRS comments on 501(c)(3) election activities by a new nonprofit blog, "The Nonprofit Blog", by the Vivero Group/501cstrategies.

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Charitable Provisions Still Under Discussion

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

According to Guidestar: With Congress in recess until early next week, Senate Finance Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Ways and Means chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) continue to discuss whether the charitable giving incentives and reforms will move as part of a forthcoming tax "extenders" package. Click hereto read the entire article.

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Grassley Looking at Tax-Exempt Organizations Again

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

An article in BNA this morning indicates that Grassley is interested in looking at the 501c4 - 527 connection. Grassley's letter said that, as the Justice Department continues its investigation into congressional corruption, the Finance Committee has reviewed numerous documents relating to charities and social advocacy organizations directly or indirectly related to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, as well as similar groups with "patterns akin to those associated" with Abramoff.

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Over 700 Groups Tell Senate To Preserve Estate Tax

Jun 2, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Yesterday, over 700 national, state, and local organizations from every state sent a letter to the Senate urging them to reject attempts to repeal or drastically reduce the estate tax. The wide and varied list - from children's, women's and minority rights advocates to health care groups, from religious and labor organizations to tax policy think tanks and citizen action coalitions - represents the broad diversity and majority of Americans who favor retaining the estate tax.

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Update On the Estate Tax from Our Budget Department

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

>When Congress returns from their week-long Memorial Day recess next week, the Senate is expected to take up a vote to repeal the estate tax, perhaps as early as Wednesday, June 7. And while Republicans are unlikely to garner the 60 votes needed to pass full repeal of the tax, there is a possibility a sham "reform" plan title="http://www.cbpp.org/5-31-06tax.htm" href="http://www.cbpp.org/5-31-06tax.htm">championed by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) or an extremely costly one from title="/article/blogs/entry/1879/13" href="/article/blogs/entry/1879/13">Sen.

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Study Shows Campaign Limits Are Not Incentive to Incumbents

Jun 2, 2006 by Guest Blogger

PIRG and National Voting Institute has released a report showing there is no evidence that campaign contribution limits provide an advantage to incumbents. From BNA:

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