ASSESSING VETERANS’ CHARITIES HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS DECEMBER 13, 2007 AND JANUARY 17, 2008 Serial No. 110–68 Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html http://www.house.gov/reform VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE ASSESSING VETERANS’ CHARITIES VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE ASSESSING VETERANS’ CHARITIES HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS DECEMBER 13, 2007 AND JANUARY 17, 2008 Serial No. 110–68 Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html http://www.house.gov/reform U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 44–005 PDF WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HENRY A. WAXMAN, California, Chairman TOM LANTOS, California TOM DAVIS, Virginia EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York DAN BURTON, Indiana PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland JOHN L. MICA, Florida DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts CHRIS CANNON, Utah WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee DIANE E. WATSON, California MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts DARRELL E. ISSA, California BRIAN HIGGINS, New York KENNY MARCHANT, Texas JOHN A. YARMUTH, Kentucky LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa PATRICK T. MCHENRY, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina Columbia BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota BILL SALI, Idaho JIM COOPER, Tennessee JIM JORDAN, Ohio CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland PAUL W. HODES, New Hampshire CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland PETER WELCH, Vermont PHIL SCHILIRO, Chief of Staff PHIL BARNETT, Staff Director EARLEY GREEN, Chief Clerk DAVID MARIN, Minority Staff Director (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on: December 13, 2007 ................................................................................................... 1 January 17, 2008 ..................................................................................................... 127 Statement of: Carroll, Bonnie, executive director, Tragedy Assistance Program for Sur- vivors; Pamela L. Seman, executive director, Disabled Veterans Asso- ciations; Robert Friend, president, American Veterans Coalition; Daniel Borochoff, president, American Institute of Philanthropy; and Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giv- ing Alliance .................................................................................................... 67 Borochoff, Daniel ....................................................................................... 94 Carroll, Bonnie .......................................................................................... 67 Friend, Robert ............................................................................................ 92 Seman, Pamela L. ..................................................................................... 88 Weiner, Bennett ........................................................................................ 105 Chapin, Roger, president, Help Hospitalized Veterans, Inc. and Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes Foundation; Richard A. Viguerie, chairman, American Target Advertising, Inc.; Geoffrey W. Peters, chairman, Cre- ative Direct Response; and Belinda J. Johns, senior assistant attorney general, Charitable Trusts Section, California Attorney General’s Of- fice .................................................................................................................. 155 Chapin, Roger ............................................................................................ 155 Johns, Belinda J. ....................................................................................... 202 Peters, Geoffrey W. ................................................................................... 189 Viguerie, Richard A. .................................................................................. 172 Edmundson, Edgar, father of Sergeant Eric Edmundson, a wounded vet- eran; and Tracy L. McCurdy, director, Bureau of Charitable Organiza- tions for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ............................................ 33 Edmundson, Edgar .................................................................................... 33 McCurdy, Tracy L. .................................................................................... 40 Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by: Borochoff, Daniel, president, American Institute of Philanthropy, pre- pared statement of ........................................................................................ 97 Cannon, Hon. Chris, a Representative in Congress from the State of Utah, information concering Cal. Corp. Code Sec. 5236 ............................ 228 Carroll, Bonnie, executive director, Tragedy Assistance Program for Sur- vivors: Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 82 Prepared statement of Daniel R. Sudnick, chief financial officer, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors ......................................... 68 Chapin, Roger, president, Help Hospitalized Veterans, Inc. and Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes Foundation ...................................................... 157 Davis, Hon. Tom, a Representative in Congress from the State of Vir- ginia, prepared statements of..................................................................... 17, 146 Edmundson, Edgar, father of Sergeant Eric Edmundson, a wounded vet- eran, prepared statement of ......................................................................... 36 Johns, Belinda J., senior assistant attorney general, Charitable Trusts Section, California Attorney General’s Office, prepared statement of ..... 204 McCurdy, Tracy L., director, Bureau of Charitable Organizations for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, prepared statement of .......................... 43 Peters, Geoffrey W., chairman, Creative Direct Response, prepared state- ment of ........................................................................................................... 191 Seman, Pamela L., executive director, Disabled Veterans Associations, prepared statement of ................................................................................... 90 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE IV Page Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by—Continued Shays, Hon. Christopher, a Representative in Congress from the State of Connecticut: Letter dated January 17, 2008 ................................................................. 270 Letter dated May 2, 2006 ......................................................................... 32 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 21 Viguerie, Richard A., chairman, American Target Advertising, Inc., pre- pared statement of ........................................................................................ 175 Waxman, Chairman Henry A., a Representative in Congress from the State of California: Letter dated December 13, 2007 .............................................................. 4 Memo dated January 17, 2008 ................................................................. 129 Prepared statements of ........................................................................... 10, 139 Weiner, Bennett, chief operating officer, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, prepared statement of ............................................. 107 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:31 Feb 20, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\DOCS\44005.TXT KATIE PsN: KATIE ASSESSING VETERANS’ CHARITIES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Henry A. Waxman (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Representatives Waxman, Cummings, Kucinich, Tierney, Watson, Higgins, Yarmuth, Braley, Norton,