8:45am Committee Business.
9:00am News from the IRS and Department of Treasury. Representatives from the TE/GE Division of IRS and from the Department of Treasury will speak on recent developments and pending guidance. Moderator: Michael A. Clark, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, Chicago, IL. Panelists: Lois G. Lerner, Director, Exempt Organizations, IRS, Washington, DC; Catherine E. Livingston, Assistant Chief Counsel, TE/GE, IRS, Washington, DC; Eric San Juan, Attorney-Advisor, Department of Treasury, Washington, DC.
10:00am News from the Hill. Speakers from Congressional tax-writing committees will address issues raised by recent and pending legislation involving exempt organizations and their donors. Moderator: Carolyn O. Ward, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, DC. Panelists: Roger P. Colinvaux, Legislation Counsel, Joint Committee on Taxation, Washington, DC; Christopher Giosa, Senior Economist, House Ways and Means Committee, Washington, DC; Jonathan Selib, Democratic Counsel, Senate Finance Committee, Washington, DC.
11:00am Political Guidance from the IRS: When It Rains It Pours. The panel will discuss the IRS report on its Political Activity Compliance Initiative, describing its investigation of section 501(c)(3) charities alleged to have violated the prohibition on political campaign intervention during 2004, with specific guidance on right and wrong ways for a charity to interact with political candidates pertinent to 2006. Moderator: Greg Colvin, Silk Adler & Colvin LLP, San Francisco, CA; Deirdre Dessingue, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC; Edward D. Coleman, Webster Chamberlain & Bean Washington, DC; Catherine E. Livingston, Assistant Chief Counsel, TE/GE, IRS, Washington, DC.
12:00pm Luncheon. X (Ticketed Event)
Speaker: Diana Aviv, Independent Sector, Washington, DC.
Topic: Recent Congressional Activity and the Charitable Sector: Immediate Impact on the Charitable Sector and Expectations for the Future.
1:15pm Going Postal: Exempt Organizations and Postal Rates, or What You Don’t Know Can Cost You. This panel will reveal the mysteries of postal service rules concerning mailing rates for nonprofits, pitfalls to maintaining qualification, and methods to challenge rate determinations. Moderator: J. Patrick Whaley, Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP, Los Angeles, CA. Panelist: David Levy, Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, Washington, DC; Jeffrey H. Zelkowitz, United States Postal Service, Washington, DC.
2:00pm Living Locally, Giving Globally: New Challenges in Cross-Border Philanthropy.
This panel will examine the latest developments affecting international charitable activities, including the revised Department of Treasury Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines and legislative developments. Moderator: Betsy Buchalter Adler, Silk Adler & Colvin, San Francisco, CA. Panelists: Kay Guinane, OMB Watch, Washington, DC; Chip Poncy, Director of Strategic Policy, Terrorist Financing & Financial Crimes, Department of Treasury, Washington, DC; Jennifer I. Reynoso, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, NY.
3:00pm Update on Governance Best Practices for Exempt Organizations. This panel will examine what the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, Congress, IRS, bond rating agencies, states, and others are currently saying about best practices, which best practices exempt organizations have been adopting, and what the exempt organization practitioner should be recommending to clients. Moderator: Frederick J. Gerhart, Dechert LLP, Philadelphia, PA. Panelists: Ralph E. DeJong, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, IL; Robert W. Friz, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Philadelphia, PA; Ruth M. Madrigal, Caplin & Drysdale Chartered, Washington, DC.
3:45pm Cash Bar.
