(JTA) U.S. law prohibits nonprofits from providing support to terrorist organizations, but enforcing that prohibition requires the government to furnish proof of a violation, triggering a judicial process that can be lengthy and arduous.
In the more than two decades since the current law was enacted, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the law has rarely led to penalties: nine charities have lost their tax-exempt status under its terms.
A bipartisan bill slated for a major vote on Capitol Hill Tuesday aims to create a new way to achieve that goal without the existing legal hurdles. The bill would give the treasury secretary new powers to independently classify any nonprofit as a terrorist-supporting organization and revoke its tax-exempt status almost immediately.
