Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Long-Running Investigation of Televangelists
December 4, 2012
Long-Running Investigation of Televangelists Prompts
... No New Law Suggestions
Five years after "Grassley
Six" inquiry began, ECFA-appointed commission advises better enforcement
of existing laws.
Melissa Steffan
In 2007, Sen. Charles Grassley
(R-IA) began investigating six major Christian ministries for "possible
misuse of donations."
Five years later, the Commission on
Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations (CAPRO) released a 91-page report today with 43
recommendations aimed at increasing financial accountability by religious and
nonprofit organizations—without requiring excessive new regulations.
The report
offers no mandates and concludes that increased
financial accountability by ministries does not require "harsh or
excessive legislation or regulation," according to commission chairman
Mike Batts. Instead, CAPRO recommends better enforcement of existing laws, as well as
increased education for nonprofit leaders about those laws.
The report is the culmination of a
national effort by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
to investigate tax and policy issues for religious organizations.
CT previously reported in 2007 when
Grassley began investigating six major ministries that came to be known as the
"Grassley Six." Four years later, after mixed responses by ministries and following the release of a
61-page report in January 2011, Grassley ended his investigations but commissioned ECFA to determine ideas for
nonprofit-accountability reform. As part of its mandate, ECFA created CAPRO.
CAPRO plans to release a second
report examining political expression by religious nonprofits within the next
year.
CT has examined whether Congress should change pastors' housing allowances.
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