The Johnson Amendment, a provision in federal law that has protected nonprofits from becoming involved in partisan electioneering activities for the past 60+ years, is currently under threat of being substantially weakened or repealed.
Maintaining political nonpartisanship is an essential component of all 501(c)(3) organizations. The Celiac Disease Foundation must remain separate from partisan politics to ensure our ability to focus the totality of our efforts and funds on nonpartisan solutions to our community’s greatest needs. Celiac disease does not discriminate against political affiliation, and neither should our efforts to educate, advocate, and accelerate research for better treatments and a cure.
On Wednesday, June 13, 2018, the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill for fiscal year 2019 with an anti-Johnson Amendment rider (Section 112 of the FSGG bill). The Senate Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee passed its version of the bill on June 19 without the rider, subject to review by the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, June 28, 2018. If passed by the Senate, the spending bill would go to conference to resolve the differences between the House and Senate’s versions, leaving the measure vulnerable to the addition of anti-Johnson Amendment language in the final bill.
If you reside in one of the states with Senate Appropriations Committee members, nonprofit organizations need your help now. Tweet, email, and write your representatives to voice your strong opposition to partisanship in charitable organizations. Click here to learn more and find out if your state has representatives on the Committee.
In April 2018, the Celiac Disease Foundation joined more than 5,800 nonprofit organizations in all 50 states in signing the Community Letter in Support of Nonpartisanship. On Monday, June 25, 2018, the Foundation again showed its support for nonprofit nonpartisanship through urging California representatives to vote to remove Section 112 from the FSGG bill.
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Take Action Now to Protect Nonpartisanship for Nonprofit Organizations