# Plain Language Summary: End Dark Money Act

This bill would allow the IRS to spend money investigating and tracking political spending by certain nonprofit organizations. Right now, there's a rule that prevents the IRS from using its budget for this purpose. This bill would get rid of that restriction, at least for the year 2021, so the IRS could use its resources to look into how these nonprofits are spending money on political activities.

The "dark money" these nonprofits are involved with refers to political donations and spending that don't have to be publicly disclosed. Some nonprofit organizations—particularly those classified as "social welfare" groups or "business leagues"—can accept unlimited donations without revealing who gave the money or how it's being spent on political campaigns and causes. The bill's supporters argue that the IRS should be able to investigate these organizations to bring more transparency to where political money is coming from and how it's being used.

If this bill passed, it would essentially give the IRS the green light to audit and examine these nonprofits' political activities more thoroughly. This could potentially lead to more public information about who's funding political campaigns and advocacy groups behind the scenes. However, opponents might argue that it could be seen as the government targeting certain organizations, and there are questions about whether the IRS has the resources or expertise to effectively monitor political spending. The practical effect would depend on how aggressively the IRS chose to use this authority.

End Dark Money Act

Crow, Jason

 <p><b>End Dark Money Act</b></p> This bill repeals in FY2021 the restriction on the use of funds by the Internal Revenue Service to issue any regulation or guidance relating to the standard for determining whether certain nonprofit civic organizations are being operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare.