(WASHINGTON, June 18, 2010)—Independent Sector President and CEO Diana Aviv submitted a letter Thursday evening to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on new exemptions to the DISCLOSE Act, H.R. 5175, that would unfairly place restrictions on advocacy efforts of nonprofits.
 
In the letter Diana Aviv states, “We are deeply troubled by the “carve out” provisions for the disclosure requirements in the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175) as they have been reported in the press. Throughout our nation’s history, Americans have turned to nonprofits to provide a strong, collective voice to influence and shape the policies and practices of government and business to achieve a better future for all. Many of these organizations operate solely on the local, state and regional level and in the course of their work, may have cause to call on elected officials who are also running for public office to address issues under consideration regardless of campaign and election periods. These organizations –- as well as many national nonprofits –- would not meet the criteria being discussed as a possible amendment to the DISCLOSE Act and would therefore be subject to more restrictions on appropriate issue advocacy efforts than their larger counterparts.”
 
Click here to read the letter.
 

Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 550 charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the nonprofit and philanthropic community.