State Associations in the News

Together, the set of proposals, if approved by the state assembly, would mark the most expansive nonprofit overhaul in four decades, according to Sean Delany, a spokesman for the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York and former assistant attorney general overseeing charities.

“Between the two sets of bills, there’s a better chance of having nonprofit reform than ever before,” said Mr. Delany, who is also executive director of Lawyers Alliance for New York, which provides free legal work to nonprofits. “It’s a big deal.”

Doug Sauer, CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits, said he isn’t convinced the measures being championed by Schneiderman will do much to prevent corruption or cut red tape.

"I'm not so sure this is going to have that great of an impact," said Sauer, who served on the committee that prepared recommendations that led to the legislation. "This is just not terribly bold. I was quite up front and told them this was addressing low-level fruit."

Sauer said he also isn't sure the attorney general’s office has enough resources to pursue enforcement. "It is generally known that the AG's nonprofit bureau doesn't have the resources to enforce what is on the books now,” he said. “I don't know how much preventative ability they are going to have. Now they just come in afterward something bad has happened and do an investigation. I don't think this will change that."

The Minnesota House of Representatives’ decision to eliminate the state’s current charitable tax incentives is a mistake that the Senate and governor should not support.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Minnesota Council on Foundations, Greater Twin Cities United Way and GiveMN — four of Minnesota’s leading nonprofit and philanthropic organizations — are deeply concerned that replacing the charitable tax deduction with a credit for giving above a threshold will reduce incentives for giving.