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The House of Representatives is slated to consider a bill in September that would permit churches to keep their tax-exempt status while participating in partisan political activities. Send a fax to your member of Congress to oppose this bill.

This legislation, drafted by the anti-gay American Center for Law and Justice, a legal organization founded by Pat Robertson, would alter current federal law by carving out an exception for houses of worship from the general prohibition on partisan political activities that all other tax-exempt organizations must observe. Further, it would create an uneven playing field between churches and other organizations that engage in the political process, which like the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, must adhere to a strict prohibition on partisan political work in order to maintain their tax-exempt status.

This legislation would create different rights for houses of worship that exist for other 501(c)(3) organizations, such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

This legislation poses a particular threat in the wake of the recently-enacted campaign finance legislation, which banned "soft money" contributions to political parties. If passed, HR 2357 could set up a new conduit for financing campaigns and parties through churches. HRC joins our allies in the religious community, including the Interfaith Alliance, the Congress of National Black Churches and the Presbyterian Church, in opposing this legislation.

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