IRS attack on free speech can't stand
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March 1, 2014 |
By Representative Raul Labrador
As Americans, one of our most cherished values
is freedom of speech. Our Founding Fathers
enshrined free speech in the First Amendment to
the Constitution, and we have worked over the
generations – through today – to protect that
cherished principle from any and all threats.
Unfortunately, we have learned over the past
year that the IRS has been engaged in a
systematic campaign to target and punish
organizations who want to practice free speech
and advance their political beliefs.
While President Obama called it a “phony
scandal,” in fact, it was an outrageous abuse of
government power.
As Americans, we should never tolerate the use
of government agencies to silence people through
backdoor regulations. This is the type of
authoritarianism that we freed ourselves from
during the War of Independence, and if it took
place in a foreign country today, we would all
be united in condemning it.
This week, I joined a majority of my House
colleagues in protecting freedom of speech and
stopping government abuse. We passed H.R. 3865,
the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs Act of
2014.
This bill will prohibit for one year a proposal
by the IRS to unilaterally change their
regulations governing 501(c)(4) organizations.
501(c)(4) organizations are non-profit groups
like civic leagues and volunteer fire
departments that are primarily engaged in
promoting social welfare. However, 501(c)(4)’s
can also engage in political activity, so long
as the majority of their money is spent on
social welfare.
The IRS’ proposed rules would impact 501(c)(4)
organizations by redefining non-partisan voter
registration and candidate forum activities as
political campaign intervention.
We believe it is essential that Congress
complete its investigation into the IRS scandals
before the IRS push these rules into effect. Our
bill will give us the time to do that and ensure
that free speech is protected.
I’m pleased that H.R. 3865 passed in a strong
bipartisan vote, 243 to 176. We also passed a
series of other bills as part of what we called
“Stop Government Abuse Week.”
These bills – all of which passed with my
support – include legislation requiring the IRS
to notify you when your information has been
shared with other government agencies, stronger
safeguards against government seizure of your
property, and even a bill allowing you to unlock
your cell phone.
In a similar vein, the Judiciary Committee held
a hearing this week on Presidential abuse of
power and the President’s failure to execute the
law. One witness, constitutional law professor
Jonathan Turley, said President Obama has
brought us to a “constitutional tipping point”
that has to be addressed.
I pledge to keep being a leader in the fight
against government abuse and protecting freedom
of speech. |
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