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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 23, 2016 10:03 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Anthony H. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Prohibiting Taxpayer Support of Hate Groups |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to prohibit any form of financial assistance from the Commonwealth to benefit white nationalist, neo-Nazi, and other hate groups. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported that at least four groups with known white nationalist agendas have received tax exempt 501(c)3 status from the Internal Revenue Service. Writing for the Associated Press, Michael Kunzleman noted “the federal government has allowed four groups at the forefront of the white nationalist movement to register as charities and raise more than $7.8 million in tax-deductible donations over the past decade.” Each of these organizations have been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a world-respected hate group watch dog, as hate groups. In light of the support lent by the leaders of these groups to the president-elect, it is unlikely that the new administration will revoke the tax-exempt status which gives these hate groups a “veneer of legitimacy and respectability” as noted by Loyola University tax professor Samuel Brunson. Following a commonwealth tradition of supporting only organizations which serve all Americans, my legislation would prohibit any and all forms of state grants, loans or other guarantees of money to organizations which have been designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Especially in a time of financial difficulty, Pennsylvanians should not be funneling taxpayer money to organizations whose only aims are to spread hate and intolerance. Please join me in co-sponsoring this very important legislation. If you have any further questions, you may contact my legislative director, Kyle Miller, at 717-787-5970 or kmiller@pasenate.com. |