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Posted on November 15, 2006 Nonprofit Leaders Weigh Impact of Election With the midterm elections over and Democrats poised to take control of the House and Senate, many nonprofit leaders and observers are hopeful that both chambers will adopt a more conciliatory view of the sector, the NonProfit Times reports. While a number of important committee chairmanships will change hands during the next session, how much those changes affect the sector remains to be seen. It's unlikely, for example, that the Senate Finance Committee, where Max Baucus (D-MT) will take over from Charles Grassley (R-IA), will see a major change in direction with respect to the sector. "We have been in this situation before, and we know there's a very constructive relationship between Sen. Grassley and Sen. Baucus," said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. "We suspect there will be close collaboration between them." On the House side, Charles Rangel (D-NY), who will take over the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee from Bill Thomas (R-CA), is expected to pursue a different set of priorities than his predecessor. Rangel is a "friend of the nonprofit sector" who "appreciates the value and work" it does, said Aviv. "I assume we will have things to talk to him about." However, Perry Wasserman, managing director of 501(c) Strategies, a D.C.-based lobbying group, cautioned nonprofits not to expect too much of the Democrats. "[It's] important to have realistic expectations of the next two years," he said. Although Democrats have articulated an agenda for the next session, "they're focusing on 2008, so not everything is on the table." Hrywna, Mark. “Impact of the Election on Nonprofits.” NonProfit Times 11/08/06. Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism Secondary Subject(s): Public Affairs Location(s): National FC009732

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