Congress avoided a government shutdown by approving short-term funding until early March. The temporary measure, signed into law by President Biden, will run until March 1 for some agencies and extends funding for other parts of the government until March 8. Thus, in roughly a month, Congress will face another funding challenge to keep the government open.

The interim funding package adopted by Congress last month runs out on January 19 for part of the federal government, with the remaining funding for other parts of the government expiring on February 2. These deadlines will be quickly upon us, an issue of critical concern for charitable organizations. Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are already being pushed to the limit to help people in need.

Wednesday, October 18, was a busy day for TNPA, with 14 executives coming from across the country to Washington, D.C., for a day that included ten meetings in the Senate. It was a nonstop effort for our volunteers, who had meetings with three Senators and the staffs of seven other Senators. The focal point of the day’s meetings was continuing to build momentum for the enactment of the Universal Charitable Deduction — the Charitable Act, S. 566, the legislation led by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

Despite the opposition of The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) and many organizations involved in third-party data, on September 14, 2023, the California Legislature adopted SB 362, which would be harmful to nonprofits that fundraise in California. The legislation would create a “delete my information” provision whereby consumers/donors could request removal from all California-registered data brokers — there are over 500 California-registered data brokers — with a single click.

On July 19, The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) conducted another of its Capitol Hill Days. This one was special on two levels. It was TNPA’s first in-person Hill Day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — TNPA conducted six virtual Hill Days via Zoom meetings with members of Congress and their staffs between then and April 2023 — and it was TNPA’s first-ever Catholic Development Council (CDC) Hill Day, with members of the CDC joining us.

Following the May 17 bipartisan introduction of the House version of the Universal Charitable Deduction bill, the legislation has added four new cosponsors. The legislation was originally introduced by a group led by Representative Blake Moore (R-UT), along with Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH), Michelle Steel (R-CA), and Danny Davis (D-IL). Now with the additional cosponsors, a total of eight representatives have signed onto the legislation. Their legislation H.R. 3435, the Charitable Act, is identical in language to the companion Senate bill with the same name, S. 566, the Charitable Act, which was introduced on February 28 by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

On May 17, a bipartisan group of House members introduced the House version of the Universal Charitable Deduction legislation. The group, led by Representative Blake Moore (R-UT), also included Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH), Michelle Steel (R-CA), and Danny Davis (D-IL). Their legislation H.R. 3435, the Charitable Act, is identical in language to the companion Senate bill S. 566, also named the Charitable Act, which was introduced on February 28 by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE). The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) is particularly pleased with the introduction of the House bill, given that three of the original cosponsors serve on the committee of jurisdiction — the House Ways and Means Committee...

TNPA hosted another of its Capitol Hill Days on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. This one was once again virtual, but our next in the summer will be an in-person event with TNPA members flying in for a day of meetings on Capitol Hill. The two centerpiece meetings of the day were with our champions on the Universal Charitable Deduction issue, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

On February 28, Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced their Universal Charitable Deduction legislation, S. 566. The bill was renamed from the previous "The Universal Giving and Pandemic Response and Recovery Act" to simply "The Charitable Act."  The Universal Charitable Deduction of $600 for married couples filing jointly and $300 for individual tax filers expired on December 31, 2021.