Nonprofit Speech Rights | Center for Effective Government

Multiple Challenges to the Electioneering Communications Rule

Repeal proposed in the Senate, the Federal Election Commission accepts two Advisory Opinion requests involving application of the rule, and Wisconsin Right to Life files suit in federal court.

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Summary of Combined Federal Campaign Regulations

5 CFR Part 950- Solicitation of Federal Civilian and Uniformed Service Personnel for Contributions to Private Voluntary Organizations

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JEC Press Release Misinterprets Evidence on Charitable Bequests

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2004 - The majority leadership of the Joint Economic Committee, in a recent press release dated July 28, 2004, pointed to an increase in charitable bequest giving as evidence that changes to the estate tax law have not impacted giving. Download Full Release (.pdf)

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Senate Finance Committee Holds Charities Roundtable

On July 22 the Senate Finance Committee held a closed door roundtable discussion with leaders and experts on the charitable sector to discuss a bipartisan staff proposal for reforms.

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House Lobby Disclosure and Reforms Proposed

Rep. Martin Meehan (D-MA) announced July 14 that he is filing legislation to strengthen lobbying disclosure requirements and reform the way the House of Representatives operates. Supported by Common Cause, Democracy 21 and Public Citizen, Meehan said the legislation is needed because "... never before have special interest lobbyists claimed so great an influence over the policy process." The bill does not have a number yet.

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CBO Releases Two New Studies Examining Impact of Estate Tax on Charitible Giving

The Congressional Budget Office has released two new reports on the impact of the estate tax on charitable giving. The reports confirm that there is a significant negative impact on charitable giving that would result from the elimination of the estate tax.

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Court Says State Must Accept Voter Registrations From Nonprofit Project

A Georgia education group involved in a multi-state effort to register voters won a preliminary injunction in early July barring the Georgia Secretary of State from rejecting voter registration cards mailed in bundles. The case, Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation, Inc. v. Cathy Cox, et al., was a test of whether state officials can impose rules on voter registration drives that are inconsistent with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).

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More Evidence of Misconduct by Head Start Bureau Chief

On June 30, the National Head Start Association issued a statement calling for the immediate resignation of Windy Hill, the U.S. Head Start Bureau Chief. Hill is the subject of an Inspector General investigation into misconduct during her tenure as head of a Texas Head Start agency prior to coming to Washington. The investigation began after NHSA released details of Hill's misconduct in April, alleging thousands of dollars in unauthorized pay, vacation time and undocumented expenses.

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Legality of Campaign Coordination with Nonprofits Questioned

Two presidential campaigns are facing challenges about their ties to nonprofit groups. The Bush campaign's appeals to churchgoers to recruit from their congregations, and the Ralph Nader campaign's office rental agreement with a 501(c)(3) group founded by him, both raise the possibility that charitable or religious resources are being used for partisan purposes. Both are the subject of a complaint filed at the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that alleges illegal coordination between the campaigns and two nonprofits in Oregon working to get Nader on the state ballot.

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Senate Finance Committee to Hold Roundtable on Nonprofit Issues

The Senate Finance Committee recently announced it will hold a roundtable discussion Thursday, July 22, on issues concerning exempt organizations. The two main purposes of the roundtable are to follow-up on the committee's hearing on charities, and to further review the staff's discussion draft regarding proposed reforms to exempt organizations.

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