California State Legislators Embrace Assault on Free Speech!

Reinforcing their reputation of being some of the U.S. Constitution's worst opponents, California legislators have now embraced a bill that could be used to silence an untold number of non-profits by threatening their tax-exempt status.  Senate Bill 834, sponsored by Scott Wiener (D-11), would grant authority to the Franchise Tax Board to suspend or deny tax-exempt status in CA for any non-profit organization that does either of the following:

  • Promotes, engages in, commits to, supports, or aids insurrection against the United States or any state in the Union, at any time, past or present.
  • Promotes, engages in, commits to, supports, or aids in any effort to overturn democratic election results or obstruct the peaceful transfer of power.

That may very well please a lot of their constituents, but it is nonetheless an attack on the right of free speech.  To call this a slippery slope would be the understatement of 2022.  How broad would this be applied? Is this simply a tool to go after non-profits that they disagree with politically? Where does it stop?  

To speak out against this latest assault on the constitutionally protected right to free speech, take action by reaching out to your state legislators directly via FPC's constituent outreach tool located on this page. FPC has drafted a sample email for you to review, edit, and personalize prior to sending it off to your legislators' inboxes.  Every individual right granted to us in the U.S. Constitution needs advocates, so thank you for stepping up in defense of free speech.