• Charitable Tax Exemption Education Campaign
• Protect Minnesota's Impartial Courts

Charitable Tax Exemption Education Campaign
MCN offers FAQ's and information

A December Minnesota Supreme Court decision narrowed the definition of "organizations of purely public charity," severely limiting sales property tax exemptions for nonprofits. MCN is seeking legislation to restore the balanced definition. Newly announced, LegalCORPS is offering volunteer lawyers to provide brief phone advise to nonprofit organizations who have questions about the court rulings and how they might affect particular organizations. To request a brief phone consultation, visit www.legalcorps.org. 

(NEW) Frequently Asked Questions about Charitable Tax Exemptions in Minnesota
(NEW) Talking Points for Meeting with Legislators
Download Charitable Tax Exemption FAQ's
View MCN's December 12 Memo to Members
Read MCN's December 6 media alert
Read the Minnesota Supreme Court Under the Rainbow Ruling
Download the Minnesota Department of Revenue Sales Tax Exemption Notice

Protect Minnesota's Impartial Courts
Don't let special interests take over Minnesota courts

Partisan politics and special interest money have corrupted state courts in many parts of the country - and that threat is coming to Minnesota.

But we have a chance to safeguard our historically fair and impartial courts from special interest influence by creating a "merit selection" and "retention election process". That means that judicial elections will be based on the quality and performance of judges instead of attack ads and cheap political tricks.

Tell the Minnesota Legislature to stop justice from being put up for sale - http://ga0.org/campaign/courts1

For many years, Minnesota was protected because of a judicial code of ethics that prohibited judges from announcing positions on political issues and from personally raising campaign funds or from seeking political party endorsements. But a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down this rule as infringing on free speech.

As a result, Minnesota is now susceptible to the type of judicial campaigns that occur in Texas, where candidates make promises to and solicit campaigns contributions from special interest groups. We need your help to protect the integrity of Minnesota courts!

We need to show legislators that minnnesotans are concerned about keeping our courts fair and impartial. We all hope that we never have to face the courthouse doors. But, if we do, we all want an impartial and neutral judge who is free to make a decision based on the law and facts of the case, not someone who makes decisions based on the desires of special interests, political parties, or the judge's campaign contributors.

Former Governor Quie said, "Partisan political battles are waged for power, not justice." But there are some legislators who want to use the judiciary to enact their own partisan agenda. We cannot let that happen. We have seen what special interest money and partisan politics has done to other branches of government. Our courts need to be off limits from these types of games. Speak out today.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits recently endorsed this important reform to maintain impartial courts in Minnesota. For questions, or to find more information on the campaign, visit www.impartialcourts.org.

Questions? Comments? Contact Josh Winters at josh@mncn.org