Watcher: September 7, 2005

Sep 7, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

Federal Budget
  • Despite Recovering Economy, Poverty On the Rise for Fourth Straight Year
  • Circumstances Force Frist to Postpone Estate Tax Vote
  • Finishing Appropriations Bills Will Be Juggling Act for Congress

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New Charities Get Expedited Process In Katrina's Wake

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The Internal Revenue Service will provide an expedited review and approval process for new organizations seeking tax-exempt status so they can provide relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina, it said Sept. 6 in a news release (IR-2005-93). While encouraging people to use existing organizations currently working on immediate aid efforts, IRS said it anticipates new charities will form to address the numerous and more specific needs of disaster victims.

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Appeals Court Tells BCRA Sponsors to File A Response to FEC

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

A federal appeals court has ordered attorneys for the congressional sponsors of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act to file a response to the Federal Election Commission's petition for further review of court decisions striking down the FEC's controversial regulations implementing BCRA (Shays v. FEC, D.C. Cir., No. 04-5352, 9/2/05).

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Getting and Keeping Donors A Challenge as Accountabiliy Bill

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

While the nonprofit industry as a whole confronts concerns about accountability, getting and keeping new donors remains the biggest challenge facing individual nonprofits, a new study says. Blackbaud, a Charleston, S.C.-based software company serving nonprofits, conducted an online survey of 1,000 U.S. nonprofit professionals to determine the challenges they face.

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Congressional Schedule

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Both the House and Senate are in session this week. The Senate will consider a resolution expressing sympathy for victims of Hurricane Katrina, a resolution recognizing the contributions of Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the FY06 Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill. The House will consider a Coast Guard authorization bill, legislation designed to aid manufacturers and a number of non-controversial bills, including bills aimed at helping small businesses deal with regulations and encouraging minority ownership.

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9/11 Turning into Day of Charity

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The campaign to turn 9/11 from a day of mourning into one of charity and cooperation has been gaining strength nationwide. Recently, the New York-based One Day's Pay organization launched a $500,000 regional campaign called "NYC Remembers." The nonprofit group, founded prior to the first anniversary of the 2001 attacks, hopes to bring together the region in a spirit of voluntary charitable service on Sept. 11.

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Gov't, Teen Challenge Reach Accord on Food Stamps

Sep 7, 2005 by Guest Blogger

federal government has cleared the way for clients of the faith-based Teen Challenge drug and alcohol recovery program to resume receiving Food Stamps. In several states, including Massachusetts and Vermont, officials halted benefits to Teen Challenge clients because the programs were not formally recognized by state officials, and because clients were turning their Food Stamps over to administrators of the treatment program. The coupons were pooled together to buy groceries for those who live in dormitory-style housing for 18 months during their treatment.

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Despite Recovering Economy, Poverty On the Rise for Fourth Straight Year

This year's Census Bureau report on nation-wide levels of poverty, income, and health insurance made clear that, although the U.S. economy expanded in 2004, the expansion did not extend to all Americans, in particular missing households most in need of a boost. The real income of a typical household has fallen for the past five years, despite steady economic expansion over the last three years. At the same time, the number of Americans living in poverty and lacking health insurance has increased steadily.

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Circumstances Force Frist to Postpone Estate Tax Vote

Late Monday evening, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) felt compelled by circumstances to postpone a vote on repeal of the estate tax, which he had scheduled to be the first item of business when Congress returned to Washington today. That it took Frist so long to postpone the vote typifies the misguided priorities of the entire movement for repeal of the estate tax -- an effort to reward the privileged few at the expense of millions of Americans who struggle to get by from day-to-day.

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Finishing Appropriations Bills Will Be Juggling Act for Congress

Thanks to the House and Senate appropriations committee reorganization that took place earlier this year, the appropriations wrap up this fall promises to be particularly dreadful, causing headaches for politicians, congressional staff, and analysts alike. In a startling display of ignorance and lack of foresight, the House and Senate chose to reorganize their appropriations committees in an inconsistent and uncoordinated way.

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