By Hillary Evans, vice president of professional learning & public policy, Philanthropy Southwest
Public Policy Roundup 7.22.21 (July issue)
Update on Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act; PSW Hosts Funder Town Hall
As previously reported in the June Public Policy Roundup, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act last month. This bill has not gained much traction since its introduction. A House version of the bill has not been introduced. Meanwhile the Senate bill has been referred to the Finance Committee with no vote yet scheduled. As August recess approaches, it is unclear whether this bill could move through the budget reconciliation process or through the $3.5 trillion budget resolution and bipartisan infrastructure package.
To explore the ACE Act in depth and understand its implications on the charitable sector, join us August 4th for a virtual Funder Town Hall on this pending legislation. Click here to learn more and register for this event.
Council of Michigan Foundations Publishes Report on Donor Advised Funds
The Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) recently published an Analysis of Donor Advised Funds from a Community Foundation Perspective. CMF partnered with the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy to present research on Donor Advised Funds payout rates. This report is part of phase three of a research series that can be viewed in full here on the CMF’s website. To view a CMF snapshot of the report’s analysis, click here.
Supreme Court Invalidates California Donor Disclosure Rules
On July 1st, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a California donor disclosure law ruling that California may not require charities soliciting contributions in the state to report the identities of their major donors. In a 6-3 decision, the Court went on to say that the requirement violates the First Amendment protection of freedom of association and is therefore unconstitutional. This ruling is a win for donor privacy and could hamper states considering measures to require donor disclosure for 501(c)3 organizations. For a deeper analysis of this opinion click here.
U.S. Census Bureau to Release Report on Redistricting Data
The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release a report by August 16 on how racial and ethnic makeup has changed since the 2010 Census. This 2020 Census data will be used to redraw legislative voting districts. To read more, click here.
In other Census related news, the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General released a report this month on the investigation into the misrepresentations of the origins of proposed Citizen Question on the 2020 Decennial Census. The investigation found that Secretary Ross misrepresented the full rationale for the reinstatement of the citizenship question in testimony before Congress. This OIG report is available here.