NRB :: NRB TODAY

July 28, 2010

The Hidden Truth about the DISCLOSE Act
By Craig L. Parshall, Sr. Vice President and General Counsel

This week President Obama voiced his urgent call for Congress to pass the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act (H.R. 5175/S. 3628). The bill, which passed in the House and is still at the one-yard line in the Senate (see below), is a reaction to the Supreme Court’s rejection of the most recent “campaign reform” law passed by Congress.

The High Court recently ruled in the Citizens United case that Congress’ last attempt to address that subject infringed on the First Amendment rights of corporations (most of them small to medium sized ones) to voice opinions during elections. While several Supreme Court justices sat in front of him, President Obama harshly criticized that Supreme Court decision during his State of the Union address last January. Now comes the DISCLOSE Act, which has broken down along party lines. Democrats say the bill is necessary to avoid the corrupting influence of big money on federal elections. Republicans say that the bill is politically timed to intimidate grassroots citizen groups from participating (and voicing their discontent) in the all-important upcoming midterm elections, which some believe could reverse the fortunes of the Democrat-controlled Congress. NRB’s President & CEO Dr. Frank Wright has written to the Senate, voicing NRB’s strong objections to the DISCLOSE Act. And there is plenty to be concerned about:

Considering the way that the DISCLOSE Act performs a First-Amendment strip-search of the privacy rights of average Americans, it may as well be called the DISROBE Act. The force of federal law will dictate that every American who gives a mere $600 (that is a mere $50 per month) to an organization that makes certain communications during a federal election cycle will have their highly personal information made public on the website of that organization, including their name, home address, and the name of their employer. Will non-profit advocacy groups be regulated under this Act? All it takes for any group to come under the auspices of the draconian legislation is for that organization to make one public statement during an election year, where it contains one single reference (no matter how obscure or indirect) to any politician who is up for election. And that “reference” need not even relate to the election, nor must it endorse or disapprove of the candidate in order to trigger the DISCLOSE Act. It is incomprehensible how forcing public disclosure of the personal information of modest donors would have any bearing on the integrity of our federal elections. Even worse, average Americans would be easy targets for those who harbor resentment against the groups they support, especially when mean-spirited zealots decide to use that personal information for hostile purposes.

The Act would mandate the scope of information that private, non-profit associations must divulge to their own members. That not only represents a violation of the First Amendment principle against “compelled speech,” but also signals a massive intrusion in the relationship between non-profit organizations and their supporters and members.

The DISCLOSE Act would impose substantial civil and even criminal penalties for any non-profit or other advocacy group that makes a misstep. To say that this legislation would create a “chilling effect” on issue-advocacy groups is an understatement. The regulations are comprised of a byzantine mosaic of complex rules set forth in a bill that is 117 pages long.

Speaking of disclosure, what I would really like the Congress to DISCLOSE about this bill are all the hidden quicksand traps that exist for unwary members of the public who might be sadly fooled into thinking that this legislation actually has something to do with improving America’s federal election process.

Latest Legislative Update:
On Tuesday, July 27th, the U.S. Senate took a cloture vote on the DISCLOSE Act. It failed 57-41. This was a procedural vote that would have allowed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to bring the DISCLOSE legislation up for a final Floor vote immediately. Any cloture vote requires 60 votes to pass, but the failure of the cloture motion does NOT signal that the DISCLOSE Act has died. In fact, Leader Reid realized just before the cloture vote was taken that he did not have the requisite 60 votes, so he voted against it to give himself the procedural leverage to bring the legislation to the Floor at a later time. Capitol Hill Insiders tell NRB that this was a significant victory for those grassroots organizations who have vocally opposed the DISCLOSE Act in recent weeks, but the battle is not over. Those who support the DISCLOSE Act are working very hard to gain the few additional votes needed to reach a 60-vote majority and end any Republican filibuster. NRB will alert you to any action on this legislation in the next several months.

Strategic Partnerships

NRB members impacting Ghana.

Member News

One Samaritan's Purse hostage remains in Sudan.

Are your employees benefiting from reading NRB Today?

NRB Media Awards now open for nominations!

Et Cetera

Spotlighting DonorDirect - donor management exclusively for ministries.

Josh & Sean McDowell's new book The Unshakable Truth - 12 critical truths for daily living.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

By Dr. Ron Harris, Sr. Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Serving with Global Partners as the Voice and Hands of Jesus
Assin Fosu, Ghana – a place you’ve probably never heard of!

It’s a place where people as far as 80 miles away can hear the Good News on a new FM community radio station operated by local believers. It’s also a place where people in the surrounding villages now have access to clean water and to mobile healthcare outreaches. It’s a result of God’s incredible blessing on global collaboration. Heide Jones and her team at HCJB Global explain:

A joint vision for reaching communities in Ghana grew between Theovision and HCJB Global – to launch medical outreaches into villages surrounding new FM community radio stations, integrating media and healthcare as tools to reach the Muslim and animistic populations in the region for Christ.

In February, the station in Assin Fosu began official broadcasts with the local Imam and Chief of Police joining in the dedication.

That same week, a team from Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, CO, joined hands with a medical team from HCJB Global’s hospital in Ecuador and Christian nurses and doctors from Ghana. The medical team saw over 2,500 patients during their outreach, while others from Colorado Springs and Ecuador spent time teaching and loving the village children.

Ghana is just one of the places that feels the impact when HCJB Global, their national partners, and those a world away come together to plant FM radio stations that reach those who are the least-reached. We are working right now with believers in Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Slovakia, Thailand, Brazil, and Nepal, who have the vision to use radio (and where possible, healthcare) to reach their communities with the Good News.

And the partnership reaches even further – a generous foundation has given us a matching grant for radio planting around the globe - $62,000 remains to match the $200,000 total.

It’s not a limited partnership – we invite you to join us as we serve with global partners to be the Voice and Hands of Jesus to a world in desperate need of His transforming power.

These and other stories show the great impact of NRB partnerships, and the blessings that all receive as they follow the Lord’s leading in their lives.

For more information about being involved in HCJB’s radio planting around the world, contact Heide Jones at hjones@hjcb.org. For more information about partnering with the international work of NRB, contact me at rharris@nrb.org.

Photos Above: (1) Radio station NKWA FM in Assin-Fosu, Ghana. (2) HCJB Global President, Wayne Pederson, speaks at the inauguration celebration of KNWA FM, Assin-Fosu, Ghana. Photographs courtesy of HCJB Global.

MEMBER NEWS

Important Prayer Update: Sudan Hostage

On May 18th, three Samaritan’s Purse relief workers in Sudan were kidnapped in the Darfur region. Two have been released, but one remains captive. Samaritan’s Purse reports that they are “working through every available channel to secure the freedom of the remaining hostage.” Click here for more information about this event. Please remain in prayer for this hostage and for their family, and for all the Samaritan’s Purse relief workers who are distributing food and aid in the Sudan.

Key Benefit of NRB Membership

Are all your employees reading NRB Today and benefiting from the information provided in this publication? If not, please send the name and email address of anyone in your organization who would benefit from reading NRB Today each week!

NRB is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Annual Media Awards until Friday, August 27, 2010.

Complete information on the nominating process, including the online submission form, is now available here.

All media awards will be presented at NRB’s 68th Annual Convention & Exposition, February 26—March 1, 2011, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN.

With a few exceptions, both the nominee and the award nominators must be NRB members. Self nominations are encouraged!

ET CETERA

Member Spotlight: Donor Direct

What started 27 years ago as an opportunity to help ministries take advantage of emerging technology has grown into the only enterprise-wide donor management system developed exclusively for ministries. Over the past 27 years Frank Smith and his team have helped hundreds of ministries utilize technology to help fulfill their organization's mission.

In 1999, Frank and his team leveraged their extensive ministry experience, programming and system design skills to form DonorDirect, a software company dedicated to producing world-class software for ministries.

Photo Above: Frank Smith, President of Donor Direct.

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