A GSE (government-sponsored enterprise) bill that would establish a new affordable housing fund, but limit nonprofits' rights to engage in, or affiliate with organizations that engage in, nonpartisan voter registration or lobbying activities, is racing ahead to a floor vote in the House.

With the end of the fiscal year looming before them, lawmakers were forced to adopt a stopgap funding measure last week to avoid a government shutdown. The measure -- called a continuing resolution (CR) -- will fund government operations for the next seven weeks. Because of the unusual structure of the CR, however, it will result in the dramatic under-funding of programs, setting spending levels at the lowest of three possible levels: the enacted totals for Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05), or either of the completed levels of the House or Senate FY06 spending bills.

EPA recently announced plans that would essentially dismantle its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the nation's premier tool for notifying the public about toxic pollution. The TRI annually provides communities with details about the amount of toxic chemicals released into the surrounding air, land, and water. The information enables concerned groups and individuals to press companies to reduce their pollution, resulting in safer, healthier communities. Despite the program's widely hailed success, however, EPA is proposing to significantly rolling back the program's reporting requirements.

Early reports about the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements to faith-based groups for their hurricane relief services were misleading and lacked essential details. At a press conference last week, FEMA announced that it will reimburse churches and faith-based groups; however, this is simply an extension of its Public Assistance Program that currently provides funding to private nonprofit groups that have provided food, shelter and supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina at the agency's request. A Sept. 27 Washington Post story gave the impression that only faith-based groups would receive such reimbursements, prompting some protest.