Why God's Lobbyist are beating you in Congress

[L.Wood]

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God's Lobbyists: The Hidden Realm of Religious Influence
By Zachary Newkirk on July 13, 2011 3:40 PM

Exemptions:
"This is largely by government design. In 1995, when Congress passed the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 1995, it provided for a few exceptions, including lobbying communications made by a “church, its integrated auxiliary or a convention or association of churches that is exempt from filing a federal income tax return," as well as a "religious order."
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Churches themselves are exempt from taxes, and they could lose their tax-exempt status if they engage in "substantial" levels of lobbying. There is no bright-line definition of what "substantial" lobbying actually means.

The IRS "considers a variety of factors, including the time devoted (by both compensated and volunteer workers) and the expenditures devoted by the organization to the activity, when determining whether the lobbying activity is substantial," according to IRS Publication 1828, which is geared toward tax-exempt churches and religious organizations.

But, because churches are tax-exempt, they largely slide under the IRS radar. Usually, there is little accountability on these churches to lobby substantially; only a report for an individual or a chance audit will reveal to the IRS any substantial lobbying. A church's major deterrence to "substantial" lobbying is the loss of their tax-exempt status.
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Enter religious organizations that aren't themselves churches.

One such group that knows how to lobby is the National Association of Evangelicals. As an association of churches, it is also exempt from lobbying disclosure rules. An association publication, For the Health of the Nation, implicitly refers to lobbying.



"Evangelical Christians in America face a historic opportunity," the preamble begins. "We make up fully one quarter of all voters in the most powerful nation in history. Never before has God given American evangelicals such an awesome opportunity to shape public policy."

"The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause is directed only at government and
restrains its power," it continues. "Thus, for example, the clause was never intended to shield individuals from exposure to the religious views of nongovernmental speakers. Exemptions from regulations or tax burdens do not violate the Establishment Clause, for government does not establish religion by leaving it alone."

In other words, the National Association of Evangelicals believes that lobbying disclosure exemptions is not a violation of the First Amendment.

Entire story at OpenSecrets blog

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