Bill Would Make Faith-Based Offices Permanent

Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives on March 2 would make the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (H.R. 1054) and ten similar federal agency offices a permanent part of the federal government. The Tools for Community Initiatives Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Green (R-WI), establishes the offices and outlines their responsibilities. It does not include portions of current regulations that address how religious groups handle federal grants.

read in full

GAO Releases Social Security Primer

May 18, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has released a very good primer on the challenges facing the Social Security program and the difficult choices Congress and the country must make to address those challenges. The guide, called Social Security Reform: Answers to Key Questions (GAO-05-193SP, May 2005) provides answers to questions about the most basic aspects of the Social Security and reform issues in a concise and easy-to-understand format. It provides straightforward answers to how Social Security works, why it needs reform, what the basic options are, and how to assess their implications. It also includes a glossary of terms and bibliography of related GAO products.

read in full

May 17,2005 OMB Watcher Articles on Nonprofit Advocacy

May 17, 2005 by Kay Guinane

Headlines. . .
  • House Members to Offer Bill to Expand Lobbying Disclosure
  • North Carolina Preacher Accused of Church Politicking Resigns
  • Conservative Coalition Opposes Further Nonprofit Regulation

read in full

Watcher: May 17, 2005

May 17, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Federal Budget
  • Congress Passes Supplemental War Funding Bill
  • President's Tax Panel Holds Two-Day Meeting on Reform Proposals
  • Update: More States Consider 'Taxpayer's Bill of Rights'

read in full

Bush Encourages More Faith-Based Work, Despite Cuts

May 17, 2005 by Guest Blogger

The administration is encouraging faith-based organizations to engaged in a type of "social entrepreneurship". Bush, who says both faith-based and secular groups play a vital role in the difficult task of bringing relief to the distressed and impoverished. But the president's budget proposals say something else when it comes to the nation's fight against poverty.

read in full

Latest Watcher

May 17, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Homeland Security Wins Power to Waive All Law House Hearing Reveals Unethical Marketing of Vioxx Bush Allows Governors to Challenge Roadless Rule

read in full

Conservative Coalition Opposes Further Nonprofit Regulation

On April 28, a coalition of conservative groups sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) objecting to the Senate Finance Committee's effort to tighten rules governing charities. Shortly after that, the Independent Sector Panel on the Nonprofit Sector released its second set of draft regulations for review and comment by the sector.

read in full

North Carolina Preacher Accused of Church Politicking Resigns

On May 5, nine members of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in North Carolina were excommunicated by their pastor for voting for former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The pastor, Rev. Chan Chandler, allegedly told his congregants that voting for Kerry was against the tenets of the church. The pastor has since resigned from his position. There has been no information whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is looking into the allegations of wrong-doing, although Americans United for Separation of Church and State has requested an investigation.

read in full

House Hearing Reveals Unethical Marketing of Vioxx

During a congressional hearing on May 5, the House Government Reform Committee harshly criticized both the Food and Drug Administration and drug makers for their role in approving and marketing Vioxx, an arthritis painkiller linked to heart disease.

read in full

Sessions Introduces Costly Estate Tax Repeal Bill

May 16, 2005 by Guest Blogger

May 10 Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) introduced a bill to repeal the estate tax that would cost considerably more than Sen. Kyl's (R-AZ) version of the bill. Kyl and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced a bill (S. 420) earlier this year that would prevent the one-year estate tax repeal slated to take effect in 2010 from sunsetting. In other words, their bill would institute full repeal beginning in 2010. Sessions' bill would repeal the estate tax immediatly, and would also eliminate the step-up in basis for assets of the deceased. Sessions is arguing that immediate repeal would actually increase government revenues; however the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities have both found that cost of full repeal would be close to $1 trillion over a decade. Senate Democrats, led by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), are currently working with the Republican leadership to see if there is an estate tax compromise out there that would garner the support of 60 Senators.

read in full

Pages

  • ©2015 Center for Effective Government
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.