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News

Charitable Reform and Giving Legislation For the Long Haul 11/01/2005
Charitable reform and giving legislation is moving piecemeal in both the House and Senate, focusing on specific abuses of the sector and charitable giving incentives in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Read More

CARE Act Re-Introduced in the Senate and House 10/04/2005
On September 27, Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 1780, the Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE). The legislation includes charitable giving incentives such as tax-free charitable contributions from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), and partial deductions of charitable contributions for taxpayers who do not itemize their tax returns. In an attempt to neutralize the charitable reform package expected to come from the Senate Finance Committee, Santorum also included accountability provisions designed to improve oversight of charities. A companion bill in the House does not include the accountability provisions. Read More

Nonprofits and Katrina 09/19/2005
The nonprofit sector has really stepped up to the plate in responding to the crises left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Now the federal government is responding with laws and regulations that will assist nonprofits providing relief in the Gulf Coast. Read More

Action Expected on Charitable Giving Legislation in September 08/22/2005
The Senate Finance Committee intends to introduce a package of nonprofit accountability reforms and charitable giving tax incentives soon, according to sources on the Hill. Read More

OMB Watch Submits Comments on Combined Federal Campaign Anti-Terrorist Certification 05/31/2005
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 Read More

Santorum Amendment Encourages Relief for Charitable Giving 04/04/2005
On March 1, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced an amendment to the 2006 Senate Budget Resolution. The amendment, a "Sense of the Senate" about charitable giving, notes the bipartisan popularity of the 2003 Charity Aid, Relief and Empowerment Act (CARE Act). The amendment passed by unanimous consent. Read More

Bush Budget Fails to Support Non-itemizer Deduction 03/21/2005
The Bush Administration has indicated that it will no longer push for passage of the non-itemizer deduction, even as a new study shows the provision would increase charitable giving. However, the non-itemizer provision remains a centerpiece of legislation introduced by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and a priority for Republican leadership. Read More

Grassley Revenue Proposal Dims Chances for New CARE Act 02/07/2005
On Jan. 24, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced S. 6, The Family and Community Protection Act of 2005, a tax and welfare reform bill that includes the Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act (CARE). Although the bill was included in Majority Leader Sen. Bill FristÕs (R-TN) Republican Top Ten Agenda for 2005, recent moves by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) dim the ActÕs chances of success. Read More

Tsunami Relief Raises Earmarking Issues for Charities 01/10/2005
The enormous outpouring of giving for victims of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia is bringing the role of nonprofits in international disaster relief into the public eye once again. Many donors are earmarking their contributions for tsunami relief, raising some concern that disaster relief needs in other areas of the world may suffer. Read More

Tax Bill May Include Church Electioneering and Charity Tax Provisions 09/21/2004
While House and Senate negotiators are beginning to advance must-pass export tax repeal legislation (H.R. 4520, S. 1637 ), some lawmakers are beating down doors to slip legislation harmful to nonprofits into the bill by the backdoor -- a bill that would allow church electioneering. Read More

JEC Press Release Misinterprets Evidence on Charitable Bequests 07/30/2004
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.

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CBO Releases Two New Studies Examining Impact of Estate Tax on Charitible Giving 07/26/2004
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. Read More

Effort to Revive CARE Act Fails 04/05/2004
Lack of offsets to pay for the costs of new charitable tax deductions and disputes over the rules for a conference committee have appeared to doom an effort by Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) to attach the CARE Act to S. 1637, the Jumpstart Our Business Strength Act (JOBS), which deals with extraterritorial income.

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New Round of Funding for Compassion Capital Fund 04/05/2004
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a new round of competition for $7 million in grants to intermediary organizations to provide technical assistance and sub-awards for capacity building to faith-based and community organizations. Read More

CARE Act Amendment Filed in the Senate 03/08/2004
Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Joseph Liberman (D-CT) have put together a charitable giving package identical to the the CARE Act . The two Senators filed the amendment to the Foreign Sales Corporation Tax Bill (S. 1637), a bill to repeal the U.S. export tax regime. Read More

Charitable Giving in Bush?s 2005 Budget Proposal 02/09/2004
President Bush’s FY 2005 budget proposal includes several tax incentives to encourage charitable giving accompanied by several requirements that will limit taxpayer deductions. Read More

In Honor of Bill of Rights Day: A look at the First Amendment 12/15/2003
On this day, December 15, National Bill of Rights Day, OMB Watch would like to pay tribute to our nation’s First Amendment. This 45-word phrase, drafted by James Madison more than 210 years ago, has guaranteed freedoms and liberties through more than two centuries – allowing for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble, and the freedom to access public information. Read More

CARE Act Update 12/02/2003
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), a co-sponsor of the CARE Act, told BNA last week about an effort to resolve one major difference between the House and Senate versions of the bill- offsets to make up for lost revenue from expanded tax deductions for charities. Read More

House Members Object to Conservation Measure in CARE Act 11/17/2003
Another contentious issue has been added to the list of items that must be worked out before the CARE Act can go to conference committee. Last week 27 Republican House members signed a letter opposing a conservation tax incentive included in the Senate version of the bill.

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CARE Act Stalled Again 11/03/2003
Senate Democrats are objecting to their exclusion from conference-committee meetings on a number of bills by refusing to add the child tax credit and extension of several tax provisions to the CARE Act. Late last week, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), a sponsor of the CARE Act, told a meeting of nonprofits that Democrats are playing politics with the bill, but Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) told BNA, “We can’t agree to participate in conferences that lock us out.” Read More

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