Government Matters

IRS Allows Charitable Contribution Receipts by E-Mail

In a revision of Publication 1771, "Charitable Contributions -- Substantiation and Disclosure Requirements," the IRS has confirmed that a charity can provide acknowledgement of a contribution electronically. For contributions of $250 or more, a written receipt must also be sent. The full text of Publication 1771 is available online, in Adobe Acrobat format on the IRS website.

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Using Social Security's Surplus for Current Needs

Policy adjustments to Social Security – and not locking these surplus funds away – are the key to "saving" Social Security.

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House Committee Revises Stealth PAC Law

State and Local PACs May Get Exemption From Reporting.

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Bush Administration Weakens Medical Privacy Rules

In a move hailed by the health care industry, the Bush administration announced on March 27 that it would roll back medical privacy standards put in place at the end of the Clinton administration.

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$50 Billion Per Year is Not Pocket Change

As reported in the Washington Post on March 25, advocates of estate tax repeal have redirected their efforts to state legislatures, pressuring them to "update" their estate tax laws to reflect the changes implemented in last June’s $1.35 trillion tax cut.

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Resolutions Not Worth Keeping

The FY 2003 Congressional budget plan is probably not going to be a resolution worth keeping.

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States and Local Governments to Lose Funding for Many Programs

A new National Priorities Project report highlights the cuts slated for state and local governments under the President’s FY 2003 budget proposal. These cuts will only further complicate matters for the vast majority of states that are already contending with budget crises. For more on the cuts and there state-by-state impact, see the full NPP analysis. The analysis will continue to be updated over the next 2 weeks, and readers are encouraged to check the NPP website if they do not see their program area covered in the analysis and tables.

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Public Still At Risk of Chemical Plant Attack

The Washington Post reported last week that a previously undisclosed study by the Army surgeon general concludes that as many as 2.4 million people are at risk of being killed or injured in a terrorist attack against a U.S. toxic chemical plant in a densely populated area. This shocking number is twice as high as previous government estimates of possible casualties of a worst-case scenario involving terrorist attacks on chemical plants.

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State and Local PACs Not Reporting to IRS Could Owe Millions in Penalties

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has said that state and local PACs that have failed to register could owe millions in penalties, and they are evaluating how to proceed.

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Bush Administration to Ease Environmental Laws for Coal Powered Plants

The Bush administration plans to ease off of older coal-fired power plants that have violated clean air standards in favor of "incentives for voluntary reductions in toxic emissions," according to this article in the Washington Post.

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