Landmark Bill to Strengthen Nonprofit-Government Partnership Introduced

WASHINGTON, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a press conference yesterday at the Capitol, Maryland Nonprofits, and the National Council of Nonprofits applauded the leadership of Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) for introducing the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act (HR 5533), a bill that will transform the way that the federal government thinks about and deals with the charitable nonprofit community in the United States.

"In Maryland, nonprofits are the heart of the community.  Our lives are enriched through the good works that they do promoting the arts, bolstering education, mentoring youth, caring for the environment, etc.  They help to provide essential government services, and also employ 10 percent of America's workforce," Darryl A. Jones, Sr., Maryland Nonprofits CEO explained.

"Congresswoman McCollum recognizes the vital role nonprofits play in communities across America and the essential need to strengthen the partnership between government and nonprofits in order to deliver vital services, build capacity, enhance accountability, and save taxpayers money," said Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. "This landmark legislation removes the cloak of invisibility that the federal government seems to have draped over the nonprofit sector."

The U.S. collects and reports current economic performance indicators for nearly every other industry, but does not know basic facts about the nonprofit sector such as how many individuals work for charitable nonprofit organizations, how many federal dollars flow to nonprofits through state and local governments, or even how much public support is given each year to distinct charitable activities. This legislation will finally provide a way for Maryland to have access to that data and help both nonprofits and policy makers establish better partnerships to serve local communities.

For more information about the nonprofits in Maryland, visit www.marylandnonprofits.org.

SOURCE Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations