Nevada Representatives Susie Lee and Mark Amodei faced backlash from Nevada nonprofits after voting in favor of HR 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. Nonprofits raised concerns that the bill could be weaponized by an administration to target and undermine them. The bill calls for postponing tax filing deadlines for American hostages and their families, while also allowing the government to terminate the tax-exempt status of “terrorist supporting organizations.”
Critics argue that the wording of the bill is vague and could be used to suppress dissent and punish political opponents. They fear that the Secretary of the Treasury would have unchecked discretion to label any nonprofit as a terrorist supporting organization, leading to arbitrary revocations of tax-exempt status, especially if the administration deems certain groups as terrorists.
While some Democrats, like Lee, supported the bill, others, like Rep. Dina Titus, voted against it due to concerns about the provision affecting nonprofits. The bill has bipartisan support in Congress, with some Republicans accusing Democrats of opposing it now that Donald Trump will be president.
Nonprofit organizations in Nevada, including Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada and the ACLU, have expressed disappointment in Lee and Amodei’s votes and have called on Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen to vote against the bill in the Senate. The issue highlights the potential impact of legislation on civil society organizations and free speech rights.
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