Now More Than Ever... AGAIN!

By Jay McAdams

Translated by Jesús Chima Castaños

The day after the election we gathered 24th STreet’s staff for a meeting. Half of us sat quietly sobbing while we talked about how the world had changed with this election. Some cried for people they knew who were now scared of being deported, others for their kids who will now be sure to grow up without the rights we had growing up. We each said aloud what we thought the role of an arts organization is in society today; to be a place of love, to reflect the world with our art, to teach kids the power of art, to make the world a better place, to make people think...

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Urgent Action Alert: Oppose

H.R. 9495 to Protect Nonprofits

An alarming piece of legislation in Congress, H.R. 9495, would allow the government 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 House of Representatives is scheduled to consider H.R. 9495 this week, with a vote likely on Wednesday. While intended to be anti-terrorism legislation, all nonprofits 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. 

CalNonprofits and our partners are fiercely opposed to the fact that 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 the Secretary to share their 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.  

The Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, and United Philanthropy Forum on Friday issued a joint statement of opposition.  

The bill has been introduced and failed twice already; note that 52 Democrats supported it, including Congressman Adam Schiff, our state’s newly elected U.S. Senator. The legislation is being reintroduced with a hearing on Monday, November 18th at 1 pm PT. 

Find the California representatives who voted yes here and contact their offices immediately. 

Take Action: Tell Congress to OPPOSE H.R. 9495 

1. Visit the IS 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. And the list of California representatives who already voted yes on previous votes here.