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S 274 114th Congress Senate Taxation Elections, voting, political campaign regulation Political movements and philosophies Public participation and lobbying Tax administration and collection, taxpayers Tax-exempt organizations

A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.

Introduced: January 28, 2015 Introduced by: Cruz, Ted Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 28, 2015
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jan 28, 2015
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exemption of political organizations, to revise the definition of "political organization" to mean a party, committee, association, fund, or other organization (whether or not incorporated) that: (1) is registered as a political committee with the Federal Election Commission (FEC); (2) has been determined to be a political committee in administrative or judicial proceedings; or (3) is organized and operated primarily to accept contributions or make expenditures to influence, or attempt to influence, the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to state or local public office, is not required to register with the FEC, and is required to register with the appropriate state agency as a political committee.

Defines "promotion of social welfare," for purposes of the tax-exemption for social welfare organizations, to include: (1) any political activity in furtherance of American democracy, provided that such activities do not exceed 50% of the organization's total activities; (2) any activities for educating individuals on issues of public importance and on the behavior of public officials, including participation in ballot initiatives and referenda; and (3) certain activities described in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 as not being expenditures for political purposes. 

                            
What's happening now January 28, 2015

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 274: A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-274/
MLA
"S. 274: A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-274/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 274, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-274/.
Markdown link
[S. 274: A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-274/)
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