Federal Public Policy
March 2009
2010 Budget Proposal to Reduce Charitable Giving Deduction
The Montana Nonprofit Association opposes the provision in the President’s budget that will reduce itemized deductions for wealthy individuals. MNA believes this proposal will negatively impact nonprofit fundraising at a time when fundraising efforts are already strained. Further, MNA is concerned about the precedent this policy sets for the future. MNA encourages government to establish ways to incentivize donors to give to nonprofits.
The Montana Nonprofit Association opposes the provision in the President’s budget that will reduce itemized deductions for wealthy individuals. MNA believes this proposal will negatively impact nonprofit fundraising at a time when fundraising efforts are already strained. Further, MNA is concerned about the precedent this policy sets for the future. MNA encourages government to establish ways to incentivize donors to give to nonprofits.
January 2009
MNA Sends Policy Priorities to Montana Congressional Delegation
MNA recently sent Sen. Baucus, Sen. Tester and Rep. Rehberg our federal policy priorities for 2009. The four main issues covered are the Serve America Act, the Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative, the Volunteer Mileage Reimbursement Rate and the IRA Charitable Rollover. In these uncertain economic times, MNA hopes to provide solutions to Congress to ease the stress on the nonprofit sector.
For more information on the topics covered in the letters:
Serve America Act (Passed)
The Serve America Act significantly expands opportunities and incentives for individuals of all ages to commit to volunteer service at home and abroad. The legislation promotes innovation and social entrepreneurism and builds partnerships between government, nonprofits and the business sector to address the most pressing issues facing our nation. The Serve America Act strengthens small and midsize nonprofits through investments in recruiting and retaining talent in the nonprofit sector. Volunteer service is the lifeblood of Montana’s nonprofits and MNA strongly supports the Serve America Act of 2009.
Nonprofit Capacity Building Amendment (Passed)
On March 17, 2009, Senator Baucus introduced the National Capacity Building Act (NCBA) NCBA is an effort to secure federal resources for nonprofit capacity building to strengthen the nonprofit sector through technical assistance, training, consulting, and leadership development. This proposal, amended into the Serve America Act, will create a national public-private grant program to support nonprofit capacity building in all 50 states.
IRA Charitable Rollover Expansion
The recently passed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 reauthorized the IRA Charitable Rollover through 2009 which allows for tax-free distributions from individual retirement accounts directly to charities. MNA is working to expand the current law to include certain types of life income gifts as eligible vehicles.
Volunteer Mileage Reimbursement Rate
Currently, the volunteer mileage reimbursement rate stands at $.14/mile in comparison to the Standard Business Mileage Rate of $.55/mile. MNA believes this sends the wrong message regarding how the country values volunteers and community service. MNA supports a rate increase to at least $.41/mile with discretion given to the IRS to increase the rate in the future. MNA will continue to work with the National Council of Nonprofits to push for a solution to this issue that is fair to Montana and America's volunteers.
For more information or questions regarding MNA's Public Policy Program, please contact Executive Director Brian Magee by email or call 406-449-3717