House Passes Dystopian Bill Targeting Nonprofits

US Capitol dome Jan 2006.
(Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Diliff)   Details   Source   DMCA

The US House of Representatives passed the controversial Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) on Nov. 21, after it was defeated in an initial vote last week. The bill, which must pass in the Democrat-majority Senate to be signed into law, would give the executive branch authority to strip nonprofits’ tax-exempt status — including arts organizations — if they are found to “fund disruptive and illegal activity nationally and terrorism abroad.” 

Civil rights organizations, activist groups, and nonprofits have raised alarms over the bill, warning that the legislation’s vague phrasing would grant President-elect Donald Trump unchecked power to target pro-Palestine groups and perceived political enemies.