Nonprofit Issues - Advocacy Blog

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Advocacy Blog

Friday, July 28, 2006

GAO Report on Grants Streamlining
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-566

Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d06566high.pdf

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 04:46:37 PM

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Sunset Legislation Update: Dems Oppose Provision in Senate
Check out an update on sunset commission legislation on the REG WATCH blog.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 02:51:02 PM

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Hostettler Introduces his Anti-Establishment Clause Bill Again
John Hostettler (R-IN) has introduced - for the 5th time - the Public Expression of Religion Act, which would "eliminating the award of attorneys' fees to plaintiffs who bring cases based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment -- the phrase in the Constitution that sets up the separation of church and state", according to the Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy.

Supporters say the proposal would reduce the leverage church-state separation groups have through the mere mention of a lawsuit, in an area of law that has seen conflicting opinions from the courts. Opponents say the bill arbitrarily strips a legal remedy from one area of law, and that it opens the door to banning such fees in other civil rights cases.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 05:08:47 PM

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

GAO Report on EPA Grants Management
GAO was asked to look at EPA's progress in implementing grant reforms in four areas, one of which was monitoring grantees.

To see the report

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 01:55:59 PM

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Abstinence Education Programs Continues to Get Funding Under New Grant Rules
From Planned Parenthood:

On January 26, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would continue to fund Community-Based Abstinence Education programs, further restricting the sexuality education of America's young people.
Like past years' decisions to continue funding for abstinence-only education, this recent announcement, which introduces a new set of guidelines, emerges not from logic or evidence, but from extreme right-wing ideology.

For the whole scoop

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 02:41:21 PM

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Sign on To Oppose Sunset Commissions
Federal, State and Local Nonprofits:

Our Regulatory Policy Department is asking for sign-ons for a letter for organizations opposing sunset commissions.

As you know, for nonprofits, sunset commissions would make all government programs be forced to plead for their lives on a periodic basis, such as every ten years, before an unelected sunset commission which would recommend whether they live, die, or be “streamlined.” In the proposals that have circulated from the White House and in several bills introduced in the 109th, sunset and government reorganization proposals from these commissions would then be rammed through Congress on a fast-track, take-it-or-leave-it basis — with limited room for debate, and no chance for amendments. Leading proposals would also exempt the sunset commission from the open government and balance requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, thus making it possible for the White House to name industry lobbyists to the sunset commission and then allow them to make these important decisions in secret proceedings.

The House is trying to get a vote on the budget resolution by the end of this week, so the bargaining within the caucus is taking place as we speak.

Click here to read the text of the letter

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:28:24 PM

Monday, February 13, 2006

Sorry, Mac User: No Grants.gov For You!
A Washington Post article on the problems of grants.gov.

From the Post:

The new "Grants.gov" system, under development at a cost of tens of billions of dollars, aims to replace paper applications with electronic forms. It is being phased in at the National Institutes of Health, Department of Housing and Urban Development and other federal agencies. All 26 grant-giving agencies are supposed to have their application processes fully online by 2007.
The problem: Although many U.S. scientists and others depend on graphics-friendly Macintosh computers, the software selected by the government is not Mac-compatible. And it is expected to remain so for at least a year.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 02:37:25 PM

Friday, August 19, 2005

Roberts Weighed In On Rights of Gov't Grantees
From Today's Washington Post:

In another instance in which he made his own political frame of reference clear, Roberts gave his advice on proposed rules that would prohibit recipients of federal grants or contracts from using that money for lobbying or other forms of political advocacy. Liberal groups that received such money were complaining that the rules were intended to harm them. Roberts, in a February 1983 memo, agreed that the proposals were too broad, but worried more about the hit that government contractors would take. "It is possible to 'defund the left' without alienating [defense contractors] TRW and Boeing, but the proposals, if enacted, would do both," Roberts opined.

For the entire article

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 11:24:45 AM

Monday, March 28, 2005

GAO To Investigate Maggie Gallagher Contract With HHS
The Government Accountability Office will investigate whether the Bush administration broke the law when it paid a syndicated columnist to help its pro-marriage efforts.

Click here for the full story.

Also, check out a Watcher article on the Maggie Gallagher case.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 03:34:29 PM

Monday, March 21, 2005

New GAO Report Tells HHS/ACF to Fix Accountability Measures
A February review of the Head Start program, one of the largest federal early childhood programs, showed that the program is prone to wastefulness and inferior service due to the lack of federal oversight. The Government Accountability Office ("GAO"), who conducted the review, recommended that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) develop a comprehensive risk assessment of the Head Start program and improve the processes it currently uses to collect information on program risks.

GAO report on HHS Grantee Accountability
The Head Start Bureau
National Head Start Association

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:00:23 PM