Nonprofits will have to reveal names of donors
WASHINGTON — Sen. Sherrod Brown hailed a decision last week by the U.S. Supreme Court which rejected a request from a nonprofit organization to delay a federal judge’s ruling that could lead them to reveal the names of their donors in future elections.
In 20 1 2, the in d epen- dent nonprofit organization known as Crossroads GPS spent $6 million in television commercials in an effort to defeat Brown, who that year won re-election over Repub- lican Josh Mandel.
“If those billionaire special interests want to try and drown out the votes of everyday Ohioans, they ought to have the guts to at least show their faces,” Brown, D-Ohio, said.
A federal judge in Wash- ington last month gave the Federal Election Commission 45 days to develop new regulations which would require nonprofits to identify the names of donors who have contributed more than $200 each to their organizations.
The ruling does not require the donors to the anti-Brown effort to have their names revealed. It impacts future elections depending on how the FEC writes the rule.
When Crossroads said federal election regulations did not require them to reveal the names of their donors who financed the anti-Brown effort, the Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed a lawsuit against the FEC and asked that a regulation be writ- ten to require nonprofits in future elections to reveal their donors.
Crossroads appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington and the case has not been heard. But the Supreme Court this week denied a request by Crossroads to halt the judge’s order before the November election.
Brown was not part of the suit. Crossroads was formed by former White House adviser Karl Rove.
Chris Pack, a spokesman for Crossroads, said “while we are disappointed the Supreme Court did not take this opportunity to ensure regulatory clarity for non- political organizations that lawfully engage in election activity, we are confident we can navigate through the cur- rent morass and comply with the law, as we always have.”
Coal workers a focus
Brown last week secured an amendment in a bill paying for federal Labor, Health and Human Services, Edu- cation and other agencies aimed at boosting participa- tion in federal programs that detect and treat black lung disease among coal miners.
Currently, about 35 percent of active miners partic- ipate in the federal screening program, with the rate lower among non-active min- ers. Brown wants to increase participation in order to iden- tify black lung earlier and help doctors create a better understanding of how to treat the disease.
Brown’s amendment would require the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to submit a report to Congress on potential barriers to participation in the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program. The report would have to include what active and non-active coal miner populations are currently covered by the surveillance program, identify potential barriers that limit participation in the program and describe current and planned outreach efforts to improve participation in the program.
The bill, which passed the Senate last week, now heads to the House for final passage before heading to the president’s desk.