The following was shared by the team at Social Impact Commons earlier today. Thank you to the Impact Commons for their work on this:
A dangerous piece of legislation in Congress, H.R. 9495, would allow the US Secretary of the Treasury--a single office--to designate any nonprofit as a "terrorist supporting organization," and then require that organization to prove itself innocent to avoid revocation of its tax-exempt status. The proposed legislation removes due process and any burden of proof on the side of the government.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to consider H.R. 9495 this week, with a vote likely on Wednesday or Thursday. While intended to be anti-terrorism legislation, all nonprofits including fiscal sponsors should be concerned about the dangerous precedent this bill could establish and the potential for abuse by the Executive Branch. Read the bill language here.
Social Impact Commons is fiercely opposed to this legislation would allow the Secretary of the Treasury to have unilateral authority and discretion to designate section 501(c) nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations,” without requiring full evidence or reasoning. The lack of due process protections should be concerning to all Americans and not just nonprofit organizations, as it places the burden of proof on the accused organization, with only 90 days to demonstrate their innocence before revoking tax-exempt status.
This past Friday, the Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, and United Philanthropy Forum joint statement of opposition.
The bill has been introduced and failed twice already; note that 52 Democrats supported it.
Take Action: Tell Congress to OPPOSE H.R. 9495
1. Visit the Independent Sector Action Center to sign a petition to oppose H.R. 9495.
2. Call your Congressional Representative TODAY and urge them to vote NO on H.R. 9495 when it comes up again for a vote. You can find contact information for your Member of Congress here.
3. Social Media Engagement: Post on your platforms and tag your Representative to urge them to oppose H.R. 9495.