H.R. 9495 just passed the House last week and heads to the Senate. Even if the Senate does not pass it, the bill is likely to return in 2025, when the makeup of Congress shifts.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are “deep concerns about the bill’s potential to grant the executive branch extraordinary power to investigate, harass, and effectively dismantle any nonprofit organization—including news outlets, universities, and civil liberties organizations” like ours—by stripping them of their tax-exempt status based on a unilateral accusation of wrongdoing.
This issue is not about partisanship, this issue is about a threat to the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits are vital to Washington State. Now more than ever it is important for the nonprofit community to band together, use our voices, and mobilize our supporters to ensure nonprofits are heard about the many issues impacting us as one of the largest employment sectors in Washington State.
Even though it was disappointing that H.R. 9495 passed in the House of Representatives, it was empowering to see how much progress we were able to make in a short amount of time. Through thousands and thousands of emails, phone calls, and meetings, the nonprofit sector was able to get 52 members of Congress to change their vote. This is the power of collective advocacy and this is what we will need to continue to do in order to protect the nonprofit sector.
Advocacy is vital for our sector to survive. In order to support nonprofits in their understanding of advocacy practices, the Nonprofit Association of Washington offers a variety of training and engagement opportunities:
Dec. 10 | Advocacy Building Blocks, Seattle: In-person training to confidently engage your legislators. https://nonprofitwa.org/event/seattle-advocacy-building-blocks-an-introduction-to-advocacy-for-nonprofits/
Jan. 28 | Online Workshop: Open to all, learn advocacy skills from anywhere. https://nonprofitwa.org/event/online-advocacy-building-blocks/
Feb. 18 | Nonprofit Action Day: Join us for collective action and impact. SAVE THE DATE
Empower yourself to speak up, safeguard nonprofits, and shape the future. Advocacy is easier than you think, and NAWA is here to guide you every step of the way.
While the election is over, the fight to protect the nonprofit sector is just beginning.