Nonprofit Speech Rights | Center for Effective Government

Amid Reform Frenzy, Senate Democrats Introduce Lobby Reform Bill

Since the guilty plea by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Congress has been hurriedly preparing lobby and ethics reform legislation. Republicans announced their ideas at a Jan. 17 press conference that seemed mostly designed to pre-empt the unveiling of Democrats plan on Jan. 18. The Senate Democrats followed their press event with the introduction of a comprehensive bill authored by Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In our view, the Reid bill is a solid beginning, but falls short of adequately addressing the culture of corruption that surrounds Washington politics today. To follow is an analysis of the Reid bill and its impact on lobbying generally and nonprofit lobbying specifically.

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High Court Opens Door to Campaign Finance Rule Challenge

Less than a week after oral arguments were held the Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 23 that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002's (BCRA) ban on "electioneering communications" can be challenged on a case-by-case basis. The ruling opens the door for the Wisconsin Right to Life Committee (WRTL) to pursue its claim that BCRA is unconstitutional as applied to its grassroots lobbying communications. The unanimous opinion in Wisconsin Right to Life Committee v.

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IRS to Step Up Nonprofit Enforcement in 2006

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson, speaking to the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, recently announced that in 2006 the IRS will increase its enforcement efforts for exempt organizations, building on a trend of the past few years. Among the agency's top priorities, according to Everson, will be enforcement of the ban on political intervention by charities and religious organizations.

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Resource Center: Gov't Ethics, Lobby Reform Proposals for 2006

Get up to date information and analysis on proposals for reforming Congress, better public disclosure and reforming the budget process. Latest Update: Feb. 15, 2006 We moved! Go to www.ombwatch.org/files/lobbyreform for the new Lobbying Reform & Government Ethics Resource Center. Updated Feb. 7, 2006

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Abramoff Plea Brings New Lobby Reform Bills

With the recent plea bargain made by high-powered lobbyist Jack Abramoff, federal lobbying reform bills have gained momentum in Congress, with Democrats and Republicans vying to lead the pack and shake the "Abramoff taint" in time for re-election.

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More Government Spying on Nonprofits Revealed

New documents released to the press in December 2005 show federal agencies have been infiltrating and conducting surveillance on a wide range of nonprofits, in what appears to be a policy of treating lawful dissent as an act of terrorism. An NBC story revealed that the Pentagon has used a program meant to protect U.S. military installations, in order to spy on peace and other groups. In addition, FBI files released as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in December 2005 show investigations of groups concerned with everything from poverty relief to the environment.

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IRS Clears Florida Church of Partisan Activity Accusation

An IRS investigation of a Florida church has found there was no partisan political activity when candidates attended and appeared at services during the 2004 election season. In late Dec. 2005 the IRS told Guy Lewis, the attorney for Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, that the case would be closed and resolved favorably for the church.

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FEC: No Exceptions for Charities to Electioneering Communications Rule

On December 21, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted to drop exemptions for 501(c)(3) nonprofits to Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) rules that restrict electioneering communications. The new rule eliminates exemptions for television, radio and cable advertisements that mention a federal candidate 30 days before a primary or 60 days before a general election paid for by charities and religious organizations, as well as "public service announcements," (PSAs) which are aired for free.

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A Year of Attacks on Advocacy, Flawed Anti-Terrorism Measures

According to a survey of Louisiana residents released last month by Louisiana State University, faith-based organizations and nonprofits got higher marks than government for their hurricane recovery efforts. While not surprising given the abysmal government response, the findings raise larger questions about the role of the federal government in providing resources to the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits face major long-term budget challenges at the federal level that will continue to make it more difficult to serve the people and missions they exist to serve.

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Nonprofits Urged to Comment on Proposed IRS Exemption from Privacy Act

The Internal Revenue Service is proposing a new Privacy Act system of records exempt from release for Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TE/GE) case management, which could have implications for audited 501(c)(3) organizations.

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