Serve America Act Passes

The Senate passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (HR 1388/S 277)by a vote of 78 to 20 without the “poison pill” amendment barring nonprofit lobbying. This is a major victory for the nonprofit community and brings us much closer to enacting legislation to expand national and community service programs and strengthen the infrastructure for volunteerism within the nonprofit community.

Because of the differences between the House and Senate versions of the service legislation, policymakers must resolve whether to pass the Senate bill, as is, in the House or convene a conference committee to work out a compromise bill. President Obama has made passage of service legislation a high priority and is urging Congress to quickly send him a bill to sign.

Here are a few of the highlights and additions:

Nonprofit Advocacy Challenges: Unlike the House-passed version, the Senate bill does not include language limiting the advocacy and lobbying rights of nonprofits. We all must remain vigilant to ensure that the Senate language prevails in the final version of the bill. Go here for more information.

Nonprofit Capacity Building: The Senate agreed to include the Baucus-Grassley nonprofit capacity building amendment to set up a program in the Corporation for National and Community Service to expand organizational development assistance to small and midsize nonprofit organizations. Go here for more information.

Music and Arts Education: The Senate also accepted an amendment offered by Sens. Shaheen (D-NH) and Gregg (R-NH) that expressly includes music and arts education in the Education Corps activities. The amendment will encourage the use of “skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages.”

Charitable Giving Incentives Sense of Senate: The Senate adopted by a 56-41vote a Baucus amendment (#721) that states: “It is the sense of the Senate that Congress should preserve the income tax deduction for charitable contributions through the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and look for additional ways to encourage charitable giving.”

Source: Service Nation