This week, the House of Representatives has seen the quiet introduction of legislation that, if signed into law, would cast aside a law that has for generations kept churches, and other tax-exempt organizations, separate from partisan political campaigns for public office. The bill, H.R. 3600, was introduced by Republican Walter Jones and Democrat Emanuel Cleaver.
The purpose of the bill is to eliminate what is known as the 1954 Johnson Amendment -- a law that forbids tax exempt organizations from supporting specific candidates for public office. |