Three Actions: Strengthen Minnesota's Charitable Deduction
Support is growing among legislators and nonprofits to strengthen Minnesota's charitable deduction for non-itemizers. As the legislature goes into a week-long break, now is the time to highlight the importance of charitable giving for the nonprofit sector. When nonprofits come together, we are stronger!
Action #1:Add your organization's name to MCN's sign-on letterby next Wednesday. More than 180 organizations have already signed on!
Action #3: Work with MCN to submit a letter to the editor to your local newspaper. We've already drafted a template for you to use to make it easy. If you're interested, email Taylor Putz to get started.
Census Citizenship Question Decision
The decennial census is required by the Constitution, and for good reason. It is the basis of our sharing power in our democracy, and because of that, it is important that the count be fair, accurate, and reliable. This is why we were heartbroken to learn about the decision made earlier this week to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census for the first time since 1950.
Some parts of the country are already much more vulnerable to inaccuracies and under-reporting. People of color, densely populated urban areas, rural areas, the LGBT community, young children and non-native English speakers are disproportionately hurt if the Census does not reach or count them.
So at a time when many of our neighbors are already feeling targeted because of their nationality and immigrant status, the decision to include a question about citizenship is simply wrong. Minnesota’s nonprofit community has a powerful voice to play in this process.
Last week, Congress passed the 2018 budget that provides discretionary spending for the government until September 30, 2018. The $1.3 trillion spending bill funds discretionary spending programs throughout the federal government, including funding that nonprofits rely on for program delivery. Read what's in the bill here.
If you have any questions about the federal budget and how it will impact your nonprofit and the communities you partner with every day, reach out toRebecca Lucero.
Report on Minnesota's Voter Registration System Released
Earlier this month, the Office of the Legislative Affairs released the Voter Registration 2018 Evaluation Report that analyzed and made recommendations to improve Minnesota’s voter system.
The report showed that Minnesota should be proud of its strong and nation-leading voting system, but improvements can be made to enhance the system. For example, the report recommended modernizing the Statewide Voter Registration System database and clarifying the role of state agencies to provide voter registration services.
MCN will continue to work with its partners to expand voting and civic engagement for all Minnesotans.
