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07/2/2012

Cause of Action Sues FDA For Overreach Into Private Lives

 

CAUSE OF ACTION SUES FDA FOR OVERREACH INTO PRIVATE LIVES

FDA prohibits a form of artificial insemination, attempts to define relationships

WASHINGTON – Cause of Action, a nonpartisan nonprofit based in Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court of Northern California on behalf of a Bay-Area woman whose plans to start a family have been blocked by overregulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Citing FDA regulations on sperm donation, Cause of Action states that the plaintiff’s ability to become pregnant through the means of her choice has been directly affected. Cause of Action argues that the right to procreate is fundamental and one that cannot be regulated by a government agency.

“We don’t think the FDA’s intentions are bad—they are trying to protect the public from communicable diseases—but this is literally stepping between two people who have agreed to have a child; the FDA should not regulate that,” said Cause of Action’s Chief Counsel for Regulatory Affairs Amber Abbasi.

Abbasi explains in Cause of Action’s complaint that the plaintiff wants to conceive a child by means of artificial insemination without a medical intermediary such as a donor bank, but is prohibited from doing so by FDA regulations.

Federal regulations set standards for manufacturing and distributing human cells, tissues, and tissue-based products, but they treat noncommercial, individual actors the same as commercial establishments, making any individual a potential human cells, tissue, and tissue-based product producer. Once an individual is labeled as a manufacturer, he is subject to the same regulatory standards as sperm banks. The FDA does exempt people engaged in sexually intimate relationships from the standard, but it is with the government’s attempt to define “relationship” that Abbasi and Cause of Action take the most issue.

“Essentially, the FDA is trying to define a personal relationship and regulate individuals’ intimate decisions,” said Abbasi. “These actions grossly exceed the reach of the FDA’s regulatory authority. If unchecked, it could set a dangerous precedent for the future.”

The lawsuit asks the federal district court to declare the FDA’s regulatory overreach unconstitutional, which will allow the plaintiff to start a family as she desires.

“This case really highlights how arbitrary regulations can take away freedom,” said Dan Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action. “Cause of Action is committed to exposing instances like these where the government is threatening freedom with rogue regulations.”

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that uses public advocacy and legal reform tools to ensure greater transparency in government, protect taxpayer interests and promote economic freedom. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.

To schedule an interview with Amber Abbasi, Cause of Action’s Chief Counsel for Regulatory Affairs, contact Mary Beth Hutchins or Briton Bennett at 202-507-5880.

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06/20/2012

Cause of Action Sues Delaware Governor Markell And Public Service Commission To Stop Cronyism

 

CAUSE OF ACTION SUES DELAWARE GOVERNOR MARKELL

AND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

TO STOP CRONYISM

 

Illegal Scheme Forces Ratepayers to Pick Up Tab for $133 Million Tariff-Subsidy

 

WASHINGTON – Government accountability group Cause of Action (CoA) filed suit today in federal court to challenge Delaware’s sweetheart deal with Bloom Energy, Inc. (Bloom). Governor Jack Markell and the members of the Delaware Public Service Commission are unconstitutionally discriminating against Bloom’s competitors and taxing a segment of Delaware residents to subsidize the crony company.

The suit is brought on behalf of individual plaintiff John Nichols, one of the Delaware ratepayers subject to a special tariff-subsidy created to pay for the deal, and a fuel cell manufacturer whose competitive place in the energy market has been thwarted by the state of Delaware’s scheme to prop up Bloom.

“Delaware has unconstitutionally undermined competitive markets to subsidize one favored company and forced a specific group of Delaware residents to pick up the tab,” said Amber Abbasi, CoA’s Chief Counsel for Regulatory Affairs. “Cause of Action is exposing this burden on taxpayers and businesses and is holding the Governor and the Public Service Commission accountable for violating the Commerce Clause and the rights of the people of Delaware.”

In late 2011, the Delaware Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act (REPSA) was modified solely to accommodate the state’s deal with Bloom. In return for Bloom’s promise to construct a manufacturing facility in Delaware, the state established a system of discriminatory eligibility requirements, subsidies, and energy-portfolio-standards multipliers that benefit Bloom. These requirements deny out-of-state companies equal competitive footing and increase costs for Delmarva ratepayers who might otherwise benefit from the competitive interstate market. According to a report by the Delaware Public Service Commission, the cost through tariffs to ratepayers will amount to $133 million.

“There’s no rational basis for forcing Nichols and other Delmarva ratepayers to fund Bloom Energy, while the rest of the state looks on.” stated Dan Epstein, Executive Director of CoA. “Governor Markell and the Public Service Commission are discriminating against competitive businesses in other states to prop up their cronies at Bloom, in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution, and they must be forced to answer for their actions.”

In addition to filing suit against the Governor andthe members of the Delaware Public Service Commission, Cause of Action also filed two Freedom of Information Act requests regarding public comments submitted during the formation of the Bloom tariff and economic impact studies that were submitted in support of the tariff.

The complaint can be found here.

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that uses public advocacy and legal reform tools to ensure greater transparency in government, protect taxpayer interests and promote economic freedom. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.


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06/14/2012

Cause of Action Demands Investigation of IRS’s Failure to Address Lobbying Violations

 

CAUSE OF ACTION DEMANDS INVESTIGATION OF IRS’S FAILURE TO ADDRESS LOBBYING VIOLATIONS

Lack of oversight of stealth lobbying uncovered by Cause of Action

WASHINGTON – Following an investigation into the oversight of lobbying disclosures, Cause of Action (CoA) uncovered that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) fails to monitor activities that could violate tax-exempt statuses, prompting CoA to send a request for investigation to the Treasury Department Inspector General concerning the IRS’s lack of action.

On March 22, 2012, Cause of Action wrote to Douglas Shulman, Commissioner of the IRS, to inquire about the IRS’s monitoring of tax-exempt organizations that house lobbying coalitions. These coalitions, as has been revealed in numerous media outlets over the past several years, dodge the Lobbying Disclosure Act by existing as loosely organized groups which are not incorporated under the law.  Concerned that lobbying coalitions are exercising political influence without paying taxes under the Internal Revenue Code, CoA sought to ensure that lobbying entities are paying taxes and are in compliance with IRS regulations.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request Cause of Action submitted, on May 14, 2012, the IRS responded that it was unable to locate any documents relating to the tax-exempt status of unincorporated coalitions residing at tax-exempt corporations, their fiscal sponsors, or any investigations by the IRS into these organizations.

“The inability of the IRS to produce any documents on oversight or investigation into stealth or coalition lobbying points to a gross lack of accountability by the federal government,” stated Dan Epstein, Executive Director of Cause of Action. “The burden now lies upon the Treasury Department’s investigators to examine why the IRS has turned a blind eye to numerous coalitions that have the potential to lobby with tax-exempt dollars, which is a clear violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.”

On June 8, 2012, CoA sent a request for investigation letter to J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) which states that “the IRS has failed to require lobbying coalitions to report their activities and the IRS has failed to conduct oversight over tax-exempt corporations that sponsor coalition lobbying without disclosing those activities. Moreover, the IRS, despite concerns by Congress and the media, has failed to conduct any investigations of lobbying coalition activities that may be inconsistent with the Internal Revenue Code.  As a result, we strongly request that you immediately investigate these matters.”

At the time of this release, CoA has not received a response from TIGTA concerning the request for investigation.

About Cause of Action:

Cause of Action is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that uses public advocacy and legal reform tools to ensure greater transparency in government, protect taxpayer interests and promote economic freedom. For more information, visit www.causeofaction.org.

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05/30/2012

CoA Challenges Dept. of Energy In Lawsuit Over Burdensome Rulemaking Decision

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05/18/2012

Media Advisory: Whistleblower Conference – Dan Epstein Joins Panel Discussion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         CONTACT:

Friday, May 18, 2012                                                  Mary Beth Hutchins,  202-507-5887

 

*MEDIA ADVISORY*

CAUSE OF ACTION’S DAN EPSTEIN TO PRESENT AT WHISTLEBLOWER SUMMIT

WHAT: A panel discussion on issues affecting whistleblowers as part of the annual Whistleblower Summit: Civil & Human Rights Conference.

WHEN:       Monday, May 21, 2012,  12:30pm—1:30pm ET

 WHO: Dan Epstein, executive director, Cause of Action will offer insight into the best litigation options for whistleblowers under current law. Cause of Action is a non-partisan organization that uses public advocacy and legal reform tools to ensure greater transparency in government, protect taxpayer interests and promote economic freedom. He will be joining other panel experts from various nonprofits and NGO’s.

 WHERE:    Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room

226 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

 

MORE INFORMATION: The Summit is hosted by Make it Safe Coalition (MISC), an assortment of various public interest/advocacy groups including the Government Accountability Project, the International Association of Whistleblowers, the American Federation of Government Employees, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Project On Government Oversight, the No FEAR Coalition, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Voices for Corporate Responsibility, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters; which focus on significant areas of public concern and individual rights, such as First Amendment, federal workforce, medical safety, national security, judicial reform, etc. See http://www.acorn8.com for more information on the conference.

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04/11/2012

Coin for Coins: Cause of Action Demands Agencies Reveal Wasteful Spending on Commemorative Items

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03/26/2012

CoA Asks House & Senate Ethics to Investigate Staffer Insider Trading

On February 14, 2012, Cause of Action submitted a letter to both the House and Senate Ethics Committees requesting an investigation into Congressional staff actions that might be deemed insider trading.

You can see the letter here.

 

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