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Federal
State
Federal
7/28/09 Federal Budget
Update.
On July 24, 2009, the House passed the $160.7 billion 2010
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act by a vote of 264 to153.
H.R.3293 [Obey (WI-7)] provides funding for the Departments of
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and other
related agencies and programs and includes several measures to
improve education, the economy, and healthcare. The bill
includes over $1 billion in appropriations for the Corporation
for National and Community Service, which also includes funding
for our Nonprofit Capacity Building Program within the
Corporation’s budget. This important bill is expected to voted
on by the Senate Subcommittee on Tuesday, July 28, and be voted
on by the full Committee on Thursday, 7/30/09.
http://capwiz.com/pano/issues/bills/?bill=13801966&size=full.
6/3/09 Preserve Funding For Nonprofit
Capacity
Building
Program.
The national council of Nonprofits is mobilizing support for the
continued enforcement of section 198S(g) of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990.
This provision (from the Serve America Act) reserves $5
million in funds for capacity building for nonprofit
organizations. The current administration’s proposed budget uses
a “notwithstanding clause” which essentially eliminates section
198S(g), and defunds the nonprofit capacity building program for
the 2010 financial year. US
Senators Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus are ardent supporters and
bipartisan champions of this program. They personally proposed
the provision in the Serve America Act that was signed by the
President last month.
Please contact Senators Specter & Casey today.
Urge them to
“not eliminate or ignore section 198S(g) of the National
and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended by the Serve
America
Act.” Read
Senator Grassley’s
Press Release.
Urge
their support today.
4/20/09 Congress Is Back in
Session. After a two week
spring recess, Congress is back in session with a full agenda
including health care, climate change, and the federal budget
for the next fiscal year which begins October 1. Congress has
already completed the first step of the budget process, both the
House and Senate have approved their 2010 Budget Resolutions.,
but differences between the two versions must still be worked
out in a conference committee.
4/2/09 Federal Budget Update.
Both the Senate and House approved their fiscal year 2010 budget
resolutions (S.Con.Res.13 / H.Con.Res.85) last week. The budget
resolution is a non-binding document, setting-forth a blueprint
for how Congress will move major legislation forward over the
next year and how much discretionary spending will be available
through the annual appropriations process. Before approving its
resolution, the Senate adopted three important charitable giving
amendments as follows:
• The Senate adopted the Dorgan (ND) amendment calling for
Congress to extend the IRA Charitable Rollover provision and
expand it to allow for life-income gifts. This is a major step
towards a permanent and expanded IRA Rollover.
• Second, the Senate approved the Bennett amendment would bar
changing current tax laws to pay for healthcare reform with
charitable contribution deductions.
• Third, the Senate approved the Thune amendment (with 94
Senators voting in favor) to ensure that organizations providing
religious, educational, cultural, healthcare, and environmental
services would not be harmed by any changes to the charitable
giving deduction.
The last two amendments were offered in response to President
Obama’s proposal to decrease the charitable deduction for
families earning over $250,000 in order to finance new health
care proposals. While the charitable deduction reduction did not
make it into the House or Senate budget resolutions, it could
still come-up as a revenue source when appropriations and tax
bills are considered.
The resolutions (with the three amendments) are headed to a
conference committee where their differences will be
hammered-out before a final draft is submitted to both chambers
for consideration. This is expected to occur after April 21 when
House returns from Spring recess. The Senate Returns on April
20.
2/25/09
Federal Omnibus Spending Bill. On February 23, 2009 the US House
released a $410 billion omnibus spending bill that would fund
the federal government until September 30 (the end of the fiscal
year). HR 1105 would increase overall spending by 8.7% over FY
2008. This bill is necessary because the Bush administration and
Congress could not agree on a budget for FY 2009, only the
Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs
have a current budget all other federal agencies are operating
under their 2008 spending levels. The bill cuts some Bush era
initiatives and increases spending for areas that Congressional
Democrats feel have been under funded. The House is expected to
vote on the plan later this week and the Senate next week. Read
the Wall Street Journal Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123543557365854353.html,
and see HR 1105 at
http://capwiz.com/pano/issues/bills/?bill=12767536.
3/5/08
US House and Senate Budget Committees release mark-ups of the FY
2009 Budget Resolution, and debated competing proposals over the
past two days. Both House and Senate proposals would extend
expired tax incentives including the IRA charitable rollover,
reform the estate tax, and increase domestic discretionary
spending. Analysis is available from the Congressional Budget
Office http://www.cbo.gov/;
the US Senate Budget Committee Majority(D)
http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/ and Minority(R)
http://budget.senate.gov/republican/; the U.S. House Budget
Committee Majority(D)
http://budget.house.gov/ and Minority(R)
http://budget.house.gov/republicans/. Please note that
all Committee meetings are available LIVE on the Internet Video
or Audio; and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
http://www.cbpp.org/1-15-08sfp.htm.
5/24/07
The US Senate passed the
Conference Report for the $2.9 trillion Federal budget plan for
FY2008. The FY2008 Budget Resolution includes $23 billion in
Federal spending increases over the President’s budget proposal
including increases in health and education. The Resolution is
expected to result in a surplus in five years by not extending
many of the President expiring tax cuts. The budget Resolution
is a guideline for Federal spending over the next 5 years. It
serves as an outline of spending priorities for the
appropriators to follow. The Budget Resolution passed in the
Senate by a vote of 52-40, with 8 not voting. Senator Arlen
Specter voted against the budget, while Senator Robert Casey Jr.
voted for it. On May 17 the House passed the Conference Report
for the FY2008 Budget by a vote of 214-209 with 10 not voting.
For the text of the Conference Report from the House Rules
committee go to
http://www.rules.house.gov/110/text/110_sconres21cr.pdf.
3/28/07
JTC issues recommendations on the President’s FY2008
budget proposal. On March 26, 2007, the Joint Committee on
Taxation issued (JCS-2-07) a Description Of Revenue Provisions
Contained In The President's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal.
This report provides fiscal analysis of every provision in the
President’s FY2008 budget proposal including comments on
permanently extending certain charitable giving incentives like
the IRA rollover provision and the modified enhanced charitable
deduction for contributions of food inventory. For a copy of the
Joint Committee on Taxation Report go to
http://www.house.gov/jct/s-2-07.pdf.
On Friday, March 23 the Senate Approved its version of the
President’s FY2008 budget. The House takes up the budget next.
For updated information about the Federal budget go to
http://ombwatch.org/budget.
2/21/07 President Signs
Continuing Resolution for FY2007 Budget. On February 15, the
President signed the $463.5 billion continuing resolution (H.J.
Res. 20) Public Law No: 110-005. The Resolution passed the
Senate without amendment by a vote of 81-15 on February 14, four
and a half months after the legal deadline. H.J. Res. 20
provides funding for most federal agencies and programs through
September 30 (the end of FY2007). The resolution will fund
several government agencies at FY2006 levels, with minor
adjustments. The IRS operating budget for FY2007 will be cut by
$10.4 billion from FY2006 levels. According to the White House
Office of Management and Budget, no earmarks previously offered
for FY2007 will be honored by federal agencies unless contained
in this statute. For a summary of the CR, go to
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/CRSummary.pdf.
For analysis of the CR according to House Budget Committee
Republicans go to
http://budget.house.gov/republicans/press/2007/cr-fy2007.pdf.
For (H.J.Res. 20) go to:
http://capwiz.com/pano/issues/bills/?bill=9399776.
President’s FY2008 Federal Budget Proposal. On
February 5, 2007, the President sent his $2.6 trillion Federal
FY2008 budget to Congress. The President’s budget calls for
substantial reductions in a range of domestic discretionary
programs in key domestic priority areas such as healthcare,
education and environment.
In order to maintain the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
make permanent $2 trillion in tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003,
the President has chosen to balance the budget by 2012, by
reducing domestic discretionary spending. While proposed cuts
are only $13 billion in FY2008, by FY2012 they swell to $34
billion or a 7.6% reduction over FY2007 funding levels adjusted
for inflation or $114 billion over 5 years. For a detailed
analysis of the Bush FY2008 budget go to
http://www.cbpp.org/2-8-07bud.htm.
For a comprehensive analysis of the President’s budget by the
House Budget Committee staff, visit:
http://budget.house.gov/analyses/07CBO_baseline_report_1_24.pdf.
For an overview of the Federal budget process go to
http://www.cbpp.org/3-7-03bud.htm.
President’s FY2008 Budget Makes Charitable Giving Tax
Incentives Permanent. In the General Explanations of the
Administration’s FY 2008 Revenue Proposals. The proposals
include making permanent some of the charitable giving
incentives from the Pension Protection Act of 2006, that are set
to expire at the end of this year. Proposals include permanently
extending tax-free withdrawals from IRAs for charitable
contributions (p. 28); permanently extending the enhanced
charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory (p.
30); permanently extending the enhanced deduction for corporate
contributions of computer equipment for educational purposes (p.
32); permanently extending increased limits on contributions of
partial interests in real property for conservation purposes (p.
33); permanently extending the basis adjustment to stock of S
corporations contributing appreciated property (p.35); and other
provisions. For a copy of the Administration’s proposal go to
http://www.treas.gov/offices/tax-policy/library/bluebk07.pdf.
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