TANO Public Policy Alert

Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010
Technically, the federal fiscal year started on October 1, but in keeping with a trend dating back to the 1990s, Congress did not adopt a federal budget by that deadline. To keep government running, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution that the President signed. The House has passed all 12 of its appropriations bills and the Senate has passed 6 of its 12. Once related bills are passed, they get sent to conference committees to resolve differences. Congressional leaders plan to complete the process before November, according to a briefing by the Washington Post. Read more at: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/09/senate_votes_to_keep_governmen.html

Health Care Reform

· House status: Three Committees in the House have passed versions of a health care reform bill, and while each helps small for-profit employers, not one recognizes the similar needs of small nonprofits employers. See pages 1-2 of the Council of Nonprofits recent Special Report on Health Care Reform at http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/files/Policy%20News%20--%20Special%20Edition%20on%20Health%20Care%20Reform.pdf

Next step: House leadership is blending the three versions into one for action by the full House.
· Senate status: Before adopting (or rejecting) the Chairman's Mark as Amended, (http://www.independentsector.org/programs/gr/Americas_Healthy_Future_Act_AMENDED.pdf)

the Senate Finance Committee has been waiting for a report of projected costs by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report (http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/CBO_Baucus_letter.pdf?sid=ST2009100704101) just came out, showing that the Chairman's Mark as Amended would reduce the federal deficit by $81 billion over the next 10 years. Next step: Later today the Senate Finance Committee will vote on the Chairman's Mark as Amended, and if it passes (as most predict) then it will be merged with the version passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee before consideration by the full Senate.
· The Kaiser Family Foundation has developed an interactive tool that enables readers to compare different features of the major health care reform proposals. Learn more at http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm

IRS Supports Nonprofit Lobbying
Alliance for Justice shared a favorable ruling it received from the IRS clarifying that public foundations (such a community foundations) that have made the 501(h) election may rely on the rules that govern grantmaking by private foundations. The ruling "makes explicit the common understanding and practice that grants not "earmarked" for lobbying do not count towards the grantor's lobbying limits - regardless of whether the grantee spends the grant funds on lobbying." For more information, see the fact sheet (http://www.afj.org/assets/resources/nap/irs-provides-guidance-on-grants-from-public-charities-fact-sheet-9-29.pdf) that the Alliance for Justice prepared explaining the IRS Private Letter Ruling (http://www.afj.org/assets/resources/nap/plr.pdf)

Special New Resource: Federal Register
The federal government has started publishing the Federal Register, the "de facto newspaper of the executive branch," in XML format at Data.gov (http://www.data.gov/) According to a Washington Post article, this format "allows users to transport data from a Web site and store it, manipulate it or customize it elsewhere. Officials suggested that the move puts readers, rather than the government, in charge of deciding how to access the Register's reams of information." Read more at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/10/eye_opener_federal_register_20.html?wprss=federal-eye

Regular Citizens Lobby Effectively
The First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to gather through nonprofits to lobby on issues. Nonprofits have not only a constitutional right but also a moral duty to speak up for the communities they serve. Legislative lobbying is not difficult for local nonprofits. By speaking passionately about their missions and telling their own stories, nonprofits can be quite effective in moving mountains in the public policy arena when necessary.

Consider what Anna McCarthy, a self-described "mere mom," accomplished when her 11-month old son nearly died. To protect her son in the future, Anna knew she had to do something. She openly admits she "didn't know anything" about government. "I had no background in politics. I was totally intimidated by the process. I didn't want to call any government officials because, frankly, I could not recall the lessons from 11th grade civics." Yet this regular citizen stepped forward to help pass federal and state legislation to protect her son and countless other people across the country. Read Mere Mom Moves Mountains - And Legislation in this "Success Story" by the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/files/CLPI--Success%20Story%20--%20Mere%20Mom%20_Final_1.pdf) Learn more about the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest at http://www.clpi.org/.