HAWAII: Christianist Group Fined $20,000 For Excessive Anti-Gay Lobbying

Not a huge amount, but satisfying nonetheless.

Hawaii Family Forum, a Christian charity that helped lead the fight against civil unions, spent so much money politicking last year that it had to pay the IRS $20,741 in taxes for its "excessive lobbying," according to its latest tax return. The nonprofit group reported spending $125,695 on lobbying last year, a huge jump over the zero dollars it said it spent on lobbying in 2008. The change comes after at least two complaints were filed with the Internal Revenue Service about the forum's extensive political activities. "This tax form just confirms what we had suspected, and that is that they engaged in excessive lobbying, that they have no charitable programs, that they are 100 percent a lobbying organization," said Holly Huber, who filed a complaint with the IRS in June on behalf of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church. "They should not be a tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organization. They are a political action group."

But why haven't they been busted for lying in 2008?

In 2008, its tax return reported no lobbying expenses. Its "End of Session Report" to members, however, said: "2008 was a very successful legislative session for the Hawaii Family Forum." It listed 19 bills along with copies of the forum's testimony.