Senate Outlook Dims For Bill Charities And Nonprofits Worry Could Be Used Against Them
Source: Huff Post
Nov 25, 2024, 06:55 PM EST
Senate prospects appeared dim Monday for a controversial bill that recently passed the House that many civil liberties groups and nonprofits said could be used to retaliate against them for their activities. In an email to HuffPost on Monday, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Schumer “is opposed to the provisions to strip accused nonprofits of their tax-exempt status.”
Combined with the dwindling time lawmakers have to pass a bill to keep the government open past Dec. 20 and Schumer’s intent to spend precious Senate floor time on confirming federal judges, the outlook for the bill was already cloudy before the disclosure of Schumer’s position. As majority leader, Schumer decides what bills get consideration by the full Senate.
The bill passed the House Thursday on a 219-184 vote, with 30 representatives not voting. Only one Republican, libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), voted against it, while only 15 Democrats voted in support. The bill would allow the treasury secretary to more quickly take away the tax-exempt status of groups that have provided support for groups listed by the government as terrorist organizations.
The nonprofit groups would have to be notified of their designation as terrorist-supporting organizations at least 90 days beforehand and would have that time to make changes to prevent being stripped of their exempt status. They could also challenge the exemption with the IRS and in federal court. Despite those safeguards, many groups spanning the ideological spectrum, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the libertarian Cato Institute, worried they would not be enough to prevent the new authority from being abused.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senate-bill-charities-nonprofits_n_6744ff0ae4b03df08651c92a
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