Dear Member,
As organizations that represent the interests of millions of taxpayers across the country, we write in support of H.R. 5053, the “Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act,” sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.). This legislation would eliminate the Schedule B form for 501(c) organizations, which includes identifiable information of contributors to 501(c) organizations. Thisinformation is irrelevant to the routine handling of 501(c)organizationtax filings andwill help make tax compliance easier, as well as further curb the ability of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to hinder free speech and civic participation among the public.
This bill presents an opportunity to strengthen free speech protectionsin light of recent cases ofintimidation and mishandling of private information by theIRS. It would be a win for organizations across the political spectrum.
Free speech has been under assault in recent years and the IRS has been at the center of the controversy. In several well-documented cases, the agency leaked private and sensitive Schedule B information that should never have been made public. For example, the agency settled a lawsuit with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) after an IRS official emailed NOM's Form 990, Schedule B to the Human Rights Campaign, which then published it.
The revelations of leaked information, as well as evidence proving that the IRS selectively grouped organizations based ontheir names, policy positions, and perceivedideology to deny or delay requests for non-profit status, show that the fight for free speech is alive and very real.
Lawmakers must take every opportunity to keep the IRS in check, as the agency has been both derelict initsoversight and abusive withitspower. H.R. 5053 will reduce the risks of continued abuse.
Some officials at the IRS have even supported ending the Schedule B form requirement for some 501(c) classifications. For example, in December of 2015,it was reported that Tamara Ripperda, IRS Director of Exempt Organizations, discussed the potential for elimination of Schedule B:
The IRS is considering eliminating Schedule B of the Form 990, which asks for the names and addresses of an exempt organization’s contributors and for certain information about contributions received. Tax Analysts reported that, at a program sponsored by the Urban Institute, Tammy Ripperda (Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS) questioned whether the IRS should ask for the names and addresses of contributors, given that this information is not made public, and whether there is a need for the information from a federal tax law enforcement standpoint.
It is clear that the Schedule B form requirement is notneeded. Therefore, we urge all members of the House of Representatives to support H.R. 5053 and eliminate the Schedule B form requirement for 501(c) groups.
Sincerely,
James L. Martin, Chairman
60 Plus Association
Melissa Ortiz, Founder & Principal
Able Americans
Dan Greenberg, President
Advance Arkansas Institute
Caleb Crosby, President and CEO
Alabama Policy Institute
Colby May, Director and Senior Counsel
American Center for Law and Justice
Phil Kerpen, President
American Commitment
Dan Schneider, Executive Director
The American Conservative Union
George David Banks, Executive Vice President
American Council for Capitol Formation
Dan Backer, Chairman
American Dream Foundation
Gary L. Bauer President
American Values
Mark J. Fitzgibbons, President of Corporate Affairs
American TargetAdvertising, Inc.
Ernest Istook, President
Americans for Less Regulation
Rick Manning, President
Americans for Limited Government
Coley Jackson, President
Americans for Competitive Enterprise
Brent Wm. Gardner, Vice President of Government Affairs
Americans for Prosperity
Grover Norquist, President
Americans for Tax Reform
Becky Gerritson, Founder
Born Free American LLC
Norm Singleton, President
Campaign for Liberty
Linwood Bragan, Executive Director
CapStand Council for Policy and Ethics
Alfred J. Lechner, Jr., President and CEO
Cause of Action Institute
Andrew F. Quinlan, President
Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Jeffrey Mazzella, President
Center for Individual Freedom
Matt Patterson, Executive Director
Center for Worker Freedom
Twila Brase, President and Co-founder
Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom
David Bossie, President
Citizens United
Michael Bowen, Co-Chairmen
Stephani Scruggs, Co-Chairmen
Coalition for a Strong America
Nathan A. Benefield, Vice President of Policy
Commonwealth Foundation
Nick Dranias, President & Executive Director
Compact for America Educational Foundation, Inc.
Kent Lassman, President
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Jae Pak, President
Concerned Veterans for America
Herbert W. Titus, Senior Counsel
Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund
Shaun McCutcheon, Chairman
Coolidge Reagan Foundation
Tom Schatz, President
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director
Digital Liberty
Paul Weber, CEO
Family Policy Alliance
William J. Olson, Legal Counsel
Free Speech Coalition
Thomas P. Kilgannon, President
Freedom Alliance
Annette Meeks, CEO
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Mark V. Holden, Chairman
Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce
Adam Brandon, CEO and President
FreedomWorks
George Landrith, President
Frontiers of Freedom
Andrew Clark, President
Generation Opportunity
Andresen Blom, Executive Director
Grassroot Hawaii Action
Michael A. Needham, CEO
Heritage Action for America
Ambassador Henry F. (Hank) Cooper, Chairman
High Frontier
Mario H. Lopez, President
Hispanic Leadership Fund
Wayne Hoffman, President
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President
Illinois Policy Action
Sabrina Schaeffer, Executive Director
Independent Women's Forum
Heather Higgins, President & CEO
Independent Women's Voice
Thomas Pyle, President
Institute for Energy Research
Andrew Langer, President
Institute for Liberty
Tom Giovanetti, President
Institute for Policy Innovation
Sal J. Nuzzo, Vice President of Policy
The James Madison Institute
Lisa B. Nelson, CEO
Jeffersonian Project
Dave Trabert, President
Kansas Policy Institute
Morton Blackwell, President
The Leadership Institute
Seton Motely, President
Less Government
Colin Hanna, President
Let Freedom Ring
Connor Boyack, President
Libertas Institute
K Carl Smith, Executive Director
Liberty Messenger USA
Daniel Garza, Executive Director
The LIBRE Initiative
Roman Buhler, Director
The Madison Coalition
Kyle Hauptman, Executive Director
Main Street Growth Project
L. Brent Bozell III, President
Media Research Center
Jason Jones, President
Movie to Movement
Willes K. Lee, President
National Federation of Republican Assemblies
Steve M. Antosh, General Counsel
National Pro-Life Alliance
Chris W. Cox
National Rifle Association
Pete Sepp, President
National Taxpayers Union
Paul Mero, President and CEO
Next Generation Freedom Fund
Alex-St. James, National Executive Director
One Day In America
Lorenzo Montenari, Executive Director
Property Rights Alliance
Rich Lowrie, Co-founder
Put Growth First
Andrew Moylan, Executive Director and Senior Fellow
R Street Institute
Derrick Hollie, President
Reaching America
Matthew Brooks, Executive Director
Republican Jewish Coalition
Paul Gessing, President
Rio Grande Foundation
Samantha Dravis, President
Rule of Law Defense Fund
Karen Kerrigan, CEO
Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council
Tracie Sharp, President
State Policy Network
David Williams, President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Judson Phillips, Founder
Tea Party Nation
Jenny Beth Martin, Co-Founder and President
Tea Party Patriots
Brooke Rollins, President
Texas Public Policy Foundation
C. Preston Noell III, President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Andrea S. Lafferty, President
Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, Founder and Chairman
Traditional Values Coalition
Michael Connelly, Executive Director
United States Justice Foundation
Christopher Prudhome, President
Vote America Now
Robert D. Thompson, Administrator
The Weyrich Lunch
Gerrye Johnston, Founder/CEO
Women for Democracy in America, Inc.
Signing on as an Individual:
Ted Baehr, Publisher, MOVIEGUIDE(R)
Hunter Lewis, co-founder of Cambridge Associates
Stephen Moore, Co-Founder
Committee to Unleash Prosperity
Nick Sorrentino, co-founder of Against Crony Capitalism
Article: http://beforeitsnews.com/libertarian/2016/06/cei-joins-coalition-to-support-the-preventing-irs-abuse-and-protecting-free-speech-act-2645657.html
