Proposal:Spotlight Act

This proposal is archived and closed to further debate. It was introduced in the 116th Congress, which has concluded, and the bill was not enacted into law.

Bill	S 276
Type of Legislation	Senate Bill
Congress	116
Source	View original on Congress.gov

Geographic Scope

National

Description

Spotlight Act

This bill repeals an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revenue procedure (Rev. Proc. 2018-38) that exempts certain tax-exempt organizations that are not 501(c)(3) organizations from the requirement to report the names and addresses of substantial contributors (persons who contribute more than $5,000 per year) on information returns that are filed with the IRS.

The bill requires tax-exempt organizations that fall under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., social welfare organizations, labor organizations, business leagues) to disclose the names and addresses of all substantial contributors on their returns.

The bill also eliminates the authority of the IRS to provide exceptions to the disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations. This provision does not apply to determinations made by the IRS before July 16, 2018.

Bill Title

Spotlight Act

Linked Goals

• Goal:Promote General Welfare

Steps

• 2019-01-30: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
• 2019-01-30: Introduced in Senate

Projected Outcome

A more informed proposal or public response aligned with the Promote General Welfare goal.