Government Matters Articles

Comments Filed on Proposed Charitable Choice Rules for Veterans Administration

On Oct. 30, OMB Watch filed comments on proposed rules for religious organizations that receive grants under the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The comments object to rule changes that would allow religious discrimination in hiring for federally funded positions and permit religious content in service programs. The comments also called for stronger accountability standards. Click here to read the full text of the comments.

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GAO Finds OMB Regulatory Review Not Well Documented

Under the Bush administration, OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has significantly affected the substance of health, safety and environmental standards but failed to consistently document its influence, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

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Administration Challenged on Clean Air Rollback

Attorneys general from 12 states and the District of Columbia recently filed a lawsuit challenging a major rollback of the nation’s clean air standards that will allow increased pollution from the oldest and dirtiest power plants. A coalition of conservation and public health organizations has filed suit as well.

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New Resources Can Help Nonprofits Get Out the Vote

Nonprofits can significantly increase civic participation and reinvigorate democracy in America by simply registering people to vote. Some nonprofits are using local voter databases to cross-reference their membership lists in order to target their registration efforts more effectively. It can even help raise money for nonprofits: Working Assets has kicked off a campaign to register one million new voters by paying nonprofits for each new voter registered.

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JOB WATCH

For monthly updates of state-by-state job trends, current labor market trends, and tracking of job growth measured against the number of jobs the Bush administration said would be created by its 2003 tax cut proposal; tune into the Economic Policy Institute’s Job Watch. A wealth of useful charts and graphs are provided.

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Scientists Advise Self-Censorship

In an effort to avoid a system of government-imposed secrecy, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel recently recommended biologists engage in a system of self-censorship. The panel advocated a process of review, at the university and federal levels, for research that could help terrorists make biological weapons.

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A Larger Sunset Proposed for Patriot Act

Several Senators troubled with the shroud of secrecy the government has put around its use of expanded surveillance powers granted under the US Patriot Act have proposed expanding the number of Patriot Act provisions that will automatically expire. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Larry Craig (R-ID), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Sununu (R-NH), and Harry Reid (D-NV) recently introduced the Patriot Oversight Restoration Act of 2003 (S. 1695) to the Senate. The bill would expand the US Patriot Act’s “sunset” provision.

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FEC Says Donor Lists Cannot be Used for Sending Educational Materials

In June the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids (NCTFK) asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for an Advisory Opinion (AO) on whether it can use donor information from the FEC database to target educational mailings. NCTFK is a nonpartisan organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The FEC went against the recommendation of its General Counsel and denied the request.

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Internet Taxation and the State Fiscal Picture

The extension of the Internet services’ sales tax ban is due to expire November 1. However concerns remain, especially given the dire fiscal straits of most states. Besides making the ban permanent, the definition of the services that would be exempt from taxation is being expanded. The proposal under consideration also eliminates a "grandfather" clause that allowed state and local sales taxes on Internet access to continue in eleven states.

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Passage of the CARE Act Remains Uncertain

A CARE Act update.

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