Housing and Community Development Network Condemns Passage of Legislation Harmful to Nonprofits

11/21/2024

The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (the Network) condemns the passage today of H.R. 9495 in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation provides the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury broad power to strip nonprofits' tax-exempt status with little transparency or accountability. On the bill, Network President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Berger issued the following statement:

“Our nonprofit community development members do tremendous work building strong, healthy communities in NJ. The bill passed by the House today is a threat to that work, leaving organizations vulnerable to abuse of executive power with little due process. It empowers a political appointee to make a serious accusation without disclosing evidence and placing the burden of proof on the organization to disprove the allegation.

“Of course, strongly support stopping bad actors from using nonprofit organizations to fund terrorism. Thankfully, this is already prohibited under current law. While well-intentioned, H.R.9495 is not the answer to preventing the exploitation of nonprofits for illegal activities.

“We thank the members of NJ’s Congressional delegation who voted against this measure, and we urge the members of the Senate to vote NO on this proposal.”

About the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ
The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey is the statewide association of more than 275 community development corporations, individuals and other organizations that support the creation of affordable homes, economic opportunities, and strong communities. For more information on the Network, visit www.hcdnnj.org.