Coalition Letter: 60 CONSERVATIVE AND FREE MARKET GROUPS SUPPORT H.R. 3865
FreedomWorks and 59 other major conservative and free market groups have signed onto the following coalition letter by American Commitment, urging Congress to pass the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act, H.R. 3865.
February 25, 2014
Dear Members of Congress:
We urge you to vote yes on H.R. 3865, the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014.
The IRS confessed to targeting conservative groups in a stunning abuse of power. Now the IRS proposes a draconian
rule limiting the lawful activities of these same groups and all others organized under Section 501(c)(4).
The proposed rule would restrict the free speech rights of 501(c)(4) groups by arbitrarily deeming political a wide variety
of activities to be in the newly-created category of “Candidate-Related Political Activity,” which would include voter
registration drives, candidate debates, voter guides, voting records and key votes. It would restrict any criticism of an
incumbent federal, state, or local politician within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election and effectively
require groups to remove any reference to politicians from their websites during these windows. It even distorts the
definition of "candidate" to include appointees, so groups weighing in on executive or judicial nominations would be
restricted.
As the American Civil Liberties Union commented to the IRS:
Most social welfare organizations – on both the left and right — serve exactly that function as they see it, the
promotion of social welfare and community good. Based on their respective visions, they advocate for the
powerless and the voiceless. They promote fiscal responsibility and good government. They serve as a check on
government overreach, or as a cheerleader for sound public policy.
In many of these functions, social welfare organizations praise or criticize candidates for public office on the
issues and they should be able to do so freely, without fear of losing or being denied tax-exempt status, even if
doing so could influence a citizen’s vote. Such advocacy is at the heart of our representative democracy. To the
extent it influences voting, it does so by promoting an informed citizenry.
The rule proceeds from the false assumption that political engagement and discussion of public policy issues and the
merits of nominees who implement them cannot be part and parcel of a social welfare mission. This is not what the law
requires and it is inconsistent with longstanding historical practice and understanding.
While Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code specifically bars those organizations from engaging in political activity, no such
prohibition exists in Section 501(c)(4). There is therefore no statutory basis for imposing the restrictions the IRS
proposes.
The apparent rush from the IRS to implement this ill-considered rule in the middle of the current tax year must be
stopped.
H.R. 3865 is a modest measure that would simply prohibit the IRS from finalizing the rule this year, giving it adequate
time to consider all of the practical, statutory, and constitutional criticisms of its proposal – as well as giving
investigators time to complete their investigations into the targeting scandal before deciding what, if any, legal reforms
are appropriate.
We therefore urge you to vote YES on H.R. 3865.
Sincerely,
Jim Martin
Chairman
60 Plus Association
Melissa Ortiz
Founder/Principal
Able Americans
Phil Kerpen
President
American Commitment
Dan Schneider
Executive Director
American Conservative Union
Thomas Pyle
President
American Energy Alliance
Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values
Brent Gardner
Director of Federal Affairs
Americans for Prosperity
Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
John Tate
President
Campaign for Liberty
Sean Noble
President
Center to Protect Patient Rights
Jeffrey Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom
Matt Patterson
Executive Director
Center for Worker Freedom
Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness
Chris Chocola
President
Club for Growth
Gary Aldrich
President and Chairman of the
Board
CNP Action, Inc.
Penny Nance
President and CEO
Concerned Women for America
Legislative Action Committee
Peter J. Thomas
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus
Richard Viguerie
Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com
Mattie Duppler
Executive Director
Cost of Government Center
Thomas A. Schatz
President
Council for Citizens Against
Government Waste
Brian Baker
President
Ending Spending
Ralph Reed
Chairman
Faith & Freedom Coalition
Larry Cirignano
President
Faithful Catholic Citizens
Dick Patten
President
Family Business Defense Council
Sandy Rios
Vice President
Family Pac Federal
David Christensen
VP of Government Affairs
Family Research Council
David Bozell
Executive Director
ForAmerica
James S. Gilmore III
President
Free Congress Action
Coley Jackson
President
Freedom Action
Matt Kibbe
President
FreedomWorks
George Landrith
President
Frontiers of Freedom
Larry Pratt
Executive Director
Gun Owners of America
Michael Needham
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action
Mario H. Lopez
President
Hispanic Leadership Fund
Michael Smith, Esq.
President
Home School Legal Defense
Association
Heather R. Higgins
President
Independent Women’s Voice
Andrew Langer
President
Institute for Liberty
Seton Motley
President
Less Government
Colin A. Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring
Mathew Staver
Chairman
Liberty Counsel Action
Tom McClusky
VP of Government Affairs
March for Life
Dee Hodges
President
Maryland Taxpayers Association
Lew Uhler
President
National Tax Limitation
Committee
Brandon Arnold
VP of Government Affairs
National Taxpayers Union
Roy Beck
President
NumbersUSA
Paul Caprio
Director
Patriotic Veterans
Dave Wallace, II
Founder
Restore America’s Mission
Ken Hoagland
Chairman
Restore America’s Voice
Lawrence A. Hunter
President
Social Security Institute
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Amy Kremer
Chairman
Tea Party Express
Judson Phillips
President
Tea Party Nation
Jennifer Martin
President & Co-Founder
Tea Party Patriots
Todd Cefaratti
Founder
TheTeaParty.Net
C. Preston Noell III
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Andrea Lafferty
President
Traditional Values Coalition
Carl Bearden
Executive Director
United for Missouri
Susan Carleson
Chairman/President
Welfare Reform Action Fund
Morton Blackwell
Chairman
The Weyrich Lunch
Ron Robinson
President
Young America’s Foundation