On April 24, 2013, 200 fraternity and sorority members, collegiate and alumni (of the men’s groups)/alumnae (of the women’s groups), will be Washington D.C. to lobby on Capitol Hill. The Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC), is a group bringing together the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), and the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC).
This year, the FGRC’s focus is the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2013 (CHIA S 781). If enacted it would make a simple change in the tax code. This change would allow tax deductible status to donations made to fraternity and sorority educational foundations for use in infrastructure improvements and the installation of fire detection/ prevention systems in local not-for-profit student housing.
Campus residence halls were not available when a good many of the Greek-letter organizations present at this lobby effort were founded. Providing room and board for members, especially during the late 1800s and early 1900s, was a vital role provided by these organizations. That role is still a very important one. Each year, fraternities and sororities provide housing for more than 250,000 college students; one out of every eight college students lives in a fraternity or sorority house. Allowing alumni/ae the opportunity to donate funds on a tax-deductible basis will help improve fraternity and sorority housing. If CHIA is enacted, it is estimated that it will inject an estimated $300 million dollars into the construction industry throughout the United States.
You can follow the lobbying effort on twitter using hashtags #passCHIA and #GreekDC. Contributions to the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee can be made at www.fspac.org.
A sorority house on a midwestern campus. This chapter house, along with countless others on campuses all across the country would greatly benefit by the enactment of CHIA S 781.
