April 15, 2004 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Federal Election Commission is weighing whether to apply new campaign-finance limits to nonprofit groups — a proposal an FEC spokesman said has drawn more than 30,000 letters from supporters and opponents.
Supporters of the idea say new rules are needed to prevent abuses. But many nonprofit leaders say the commission’s proposal would greatly curtail their ability to get out their messages on nonpartisan issues.
If the commission adopts the proposal, nonprofit groups would be ineligible to receive gifts of more than $5,000 annually from any foundation, corporation, or individual to pay for advocacy work that could be construed as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office. Currently, this rule only applies to political parties.
In practical terms, nonprofit groups opposing the commission’s proposal say it would mean that they would be unable to engage in such activities as encouraging people to register to vote, urging members of Congress to oppose oil drilling in the Arctic, or asking its members to contact the White House in opposition to cuts in federal funds for social programs.
Heavy Opposition
The commission had considered a similar measure earlier this year, but then decided further review was needed before subjecting nonprofit groups to the same campaign-finance rules as political parties (The Chronicle, March 4). More than 300 nonprofit groups — covering a broad spectrum of political ideologies — had written to the commission at that time urging it to reject the draft opinion.
The commission is scheduled to hold public hearings on the proposed regulation on April 14 and 15 in Washington. A final decision is expected in May. The proposal is online at http://www.fec.gov/pdf/nprm/political_comm_status/04-5290.pdf.
