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Study Points to Improvements in Communication With Congress in Digital Age

A recent report by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit organization that provides management advice to members of Congress and their staff, described improvements both congressional staff and advocacy groups should implement to improve the quality of communications to and from Congress in the Internet age.

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Estate Tax Vote Slated for September -- Take Action Now!

The long run-up to legislative action in the Senate on the estate tax appears to be coming to a close. The day before the chamber recessed in July, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) filed a motion to proceed to consider H.R. 8, the House passed estate tax repeal bill. This bill will be one of the first items the Senate is expected to take up when it returns in September, and it is quite likely that this repeal bill will ultimately serve as a vehicle for a bad estate tax reform proposal by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).

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Study Finds Little Oversight of Religious Content or Client Choice in Gov't-Funded Programs

An Urban Institute study of the Bush administration's Faith Based Initiative, found that, while many faith-based organizations (FBOs) are integral service providers, they often lack established benchmarks and have little oversight at the state, local and federal levels, regarding religious content and the ability of clients to choose an alternative provider.

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High Court Nominee Admits Lobbying OMB, FDA

Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Jr. conceded that he omitted records of lobbying the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from his other public disclosures, after Newsday uncovered the lobbying activities.

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No Charges for Man Who Ejected Three from Town Hall Meeting

Federal prosecutors announced they will not charge the man who ejected three Denver residents from a taxpayer-funded town hall meeting on Social Security, because their car had an anti-war bumper sticker. The announcement was made after the Secret Service referred its investigation to the U.S. Attorney's office to consider charges of impersonating a federal officer. During the March incident, the unidentified man threatened to arrest the three attendees, if they did not leave, even though they had tickets and were not disrupting the event.

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Ruling on Material Support of Terrorist Organizations Mixed Blessing

A U.S. court ruled that key provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act targeting material support of terrorist organizations remain unconstitutionally vague despite recent revisions by Congress. The "material support" statutes, particularly troubling to nonprofit organizations, prohibited U.S. citizens or organizations from providing material support or resources to designated "foreign terrorist organizations," regardless of the nature or intent of the support. In the 42-page decision, U.S.

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Office of Management and Budget Continues to Manipulate Budget Projections

On July 13, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its annual mid-session budget review that predicted an improvement in the current fiscal year 2005 (FY05) deficit by $94 billion from its February projections. OMB claims the deficit estimate revision proves the president's tax cuts are working. Most independent analysts, however, believe the projected drop in this year's deficit is a result of tax provisions causing a one-time surge in revenue, as well as OMB's continued omission of certain costs in its deficit calculations.

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New Talking Points On Upcoming Estate Tax Vote

Aug 8, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

One of the first items the Senate is expected to take up when it returns in September is a House-passed bill to permanently repeal the estate tax, and it is quite likely that this repeal bill will ultimately serve as a vehicle for an estate tax reform proposal by Senator Kyl. In order to consider the House-passed bill, the Senate first needs to adopt a motion to proceed to the bill. Under Senate parliamentary rules, it requires 60 votes to “invoke cloture” and vote on this motion. Defeating cloture is the key step to block efforts to repeal the estate tax or prevent enactment of an irresponsible estate tax reform. Now is the time to make calls to your Senators and urge them to:

1. Vote NO on cloture on the motion to proceed to the estate tax bill; and 2. Oppose any reform effort, such as the Kyl proposal to link the estate tax rate to the capital gains rate, that does not preserve a major portion of the estate tax revenue. For more information: Read these Talking Points

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Statement of Principles: 2004

Over the last 30 years, we have made significant progress through strong public safeguards. Our air and water are cleaner; our food, workplaces, and roads are safer; and corporations and government are more open and accountable to the public. These protections have saved thousands upon thousands of lives and improved the quality of life for all Americans — without hobbling industry or the economy.

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Bush Administration Announces Re-Issue of 30-Year Bond

Aug 8, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

The Bush administration announced last week that the Treasury Department would begin issuing 30-year Treasury bonds again. The bonds were discontinued about four years ago because they were seen as unnecessary due to huge projected surpluses in the federal government. The announcement signals an realization and acceptance that budget deficits are here for the long haul and with looming long-term costs rising, the government needs additional ways to borrow money. Washington Post coverage

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Aug 8, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

Aug 8, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

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