08-20-2014, 09:47 AM
Rob, now that is a good question. Here is the answer. 501©3's are NOT allowed to do direct or grassroots lobbying let alone writing legislation, which Graham admits to doing. They are allowed to comment in general about policy but not about a specific piece of legislation.
If a nonprofit wants to lobby they have to create a political action committee but there are many rules that govern that particular situation. I think it becomes a 501H. The other thing, I would like to point out is that the organization that Graham started in 2010, the Hawai'i Sustainable Community Alliance (HSCA), is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Hawaii Volcano Circus (HVC). This particular organization, HSCA has to behave like a nonprofit because they are under the fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit. And here is the ultimate rub...the mission statement for HSCA is nothing like or not in sync with the mission statement of HVC, which it has to be.
If a nonprofit wants to lobby they have to create a political action committee but there are many rules that govern that particular situation. I think it becomes a 501H. The other thing, I would like to point out is that the organization that Graham started in 2010, the Hawai'i Sustainable Community Alliance (HSCA), is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Hawaii Volcano Circus (HVC). This particular organization, HSCA has to behave like a nonprofit because they are under the fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit. And here is the ultimate rub...the mission statement for HSCA is nothing like or not in sync with the mission statement of HVC, which it has to be.