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May 31, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: GOP Seeks Power to Restructure Entire Federal Government House Considers CDBG But Avoids Attacking PART

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House Considers CDBG But Avoids Attacking PART

In the wake of the White House's attempt to put the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program on the chopping block, a House subcommittee held a hearing to determine whether a program as diverse and flexible as CDBG could be evaluated using OMB's one-size-fits-all performance measurements. Factors Influencing the Hearing

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GOP Seeks Power to Restructure Entire Federal Government

The Bush administration's systematic dismantling of the public's protections could soon accelerate as Republican lawmakers prepare legislation that would permit the unrestrained restructuring of the entire federal government through results commissions and fast-track reorganization authority.

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OMB Watch Submits Comments on Combined Federal Campaign Anti-Terrorist Certification

OMB Watch has filed comments on the Combined Federal Campaign's (CFC) proposed anti-terrorist financing certification for fiscal year 2006 (FY06) that support CFC's shift away from its FY05 requirement that participating charities check employee names against government terrorist watch lists. The CFC is the federal government's workplace charitable giving program. The comments suggest ways the proposed certification can be improved to provide clearer guidance and suggest that CFC develop procedures for organizations to cure any noncompliance discovered during the program year. OMB Watch is one of 12 nonprofit plaintiffs that have challenged the current certification in federal court

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Group Asks Supreme Court to Consider Constitutionality of Electioneering Restrictions

The Wisconsin Right to Life Committee (WRTL) appealed to the Supreme Court May 24 asking it to overturn a provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) that prohibits the broadcast of ads that mention federal candidates within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary. WRTL ran ads in the summer of 2004 asking Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) to support President Bush's judicial nominees. It had to discontinue the ads on Aug. 15, 2004 because Feingold was running for re-election.

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State Charity Regulation Proposals Listed

The National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) has published a list of 24 legislative proposals to regulate charities that are pending in 15 states. A list summarizing 2004 results in 19 states was also published. Both are available on the NCNA website.

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Thomas Pushes for Social Security Tax Cuts

The House Ways and Means Committee made Social Security the focus of its work over the past two weeks, holding a number of hearings and announcing the intention to write legislation this summer. Rep. James McCrery (R-LA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security, stated House lawmakers will be ready to write Social Security legislation by July 1.

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House Appropriators Speed Through Spending Bills

While the Senate was bogged down last week debating judicial nominations and a possible vote to end the use of the filibuster when considering judicial nominees, the House has been hastily forging ahead on appropriations bills at a furious pace. Soon after the bicameral budget resolution was agreed to April 28, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) laid out 302(b) allocations to the 11 appropriations subcommittees and markups immediately began. Seven of the bills remain to be completed.

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Senate Finance Committee Pushes Alternative Minimum Tax Repeal

A bipartisan coalition of Senate Finance Committee members, including Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Max Baucus (D-MT), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), introduced legislation last week to repeal the federal individual alternative minimum tax (AMT). The bipartisan "Individual Alternative Minimum Tax Repeal Act of 2005" would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to end the AMT beginning in the 2006 tax year.

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Lobby Disclosure Bill Filed

On May 17, Reps. Marty Meehan (D-MA) and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) formally filed H.R. 2412, the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act (SILEA). The bill would amend the Lobby Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), which requires organizations that engage in a certain amount of lobbying activity to register and file disclosure reports. Of particular concern to nonprofits are four provisions that would increase disclosure requirements.

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