National Council of Nonprofits President and CEO Diane Yentel issued the following statement in response to the re-introduction of the Free Speech Fairness Act and other attacks on nonprofit nonpartisanship:
“Nonprofits are one of the few places left in our society where party labels and ideology are left at the door; places where we come together to address our community needs and help others. Legislation like the Free Speech Fairness Act would remove this safe haven from divisive partisanship, divide nonprofit boardrooms, and distract from nonprofit missions.
“The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation determined in 2017 that this policy change would cost the U.S. Treasury more than $2 billion because political campaign donations would – for the first time – obtain charitable tax deduction. In addition to increased cost, this shift would blur an important line between political actions and the essential nonpartisan work of nonprofit organizations, risking eroded community trust and long-term harmful impacts.
“The bill is truly a solution in search of a problem, and a solution that the public, most nonprofits, and most religious institutions do not want. Seventy two percent of the public support keeping the Johnson Amendment in place and nearly 90% of evangelical leaders say it is wrong for preachers to endorse candidates from the pulpit. In response to past repeal efforts, the majority of nonprofits and faith leaders made clear their support for protecting nonpartisanship through, for example, the Community Letter in Support of Nonpartisanship, signed by more than 5,800 nonprofit organizations in all 50 states, the Faith Voices letter signed by more than 4,300 faith leaders, a letter signed by more than 100 denominations and major religious organizations, and letters from the law enforcement community.
“Put simply, this legislation would erode public trust and harm communities. There are many challenges facing nonprofits and religious institutions right now that Congress can take action to solve. This is not one of them.”
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