27 Jun 2011 - New York's Attorney General announces new leadership committe for nonprofit revitalization. At an April meeting of the Association for a Better New York, the Attorney General, whose office oversees nonprofits operating in New York State, announced that he would work with the state's nonprofit sector and business and labor communities to help eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy that has long plagued nonprofits, such as redundant audits and overlapping reporting requirements, and delays in processing and payment of contracts. Based on the key issues that the nonprofit sector has identified to the Attorney General's Office, the Leadership Committee’s activities will focus on the following: • Making recommendations on how to reduce regulatory burdens and more effectively address regulatory concerns; • Developing legislative proposals to modernize New York's nonprofit laws that would eliminate outdated requirements and unnecessary burdens while strengthening accountability; and • Proposing measures to enhance board governance and effectiveness, including through new programs to recruit and train nonprofit board members. url: http://www.ag.ny.gov/media_center/2011/jun/jun27a_11.html New Changes to Michigans Charitable Organizations and Solicitations Act Major changes in COSA include: • Charitable organizations are required to register to solicit instead of being licensed to solicit. An organizations registration will be effective upon receipt of all required information. • The level of contributions at which all-volunteer organizations are required to register has been increased. They may now receive up to $25,000 in a twelve-month period before being required to register with the Charitable Trust Section. If any person who is involved in fundraising is paid, registration to solicit is required regardless of the amount of funds raised. • Criminal provisions in COSA have been strengthened and certain violations are now felonies. • Civil fines are authorized up to $10,000. Organizations that are currently licensed to solicit donations will see little difference in the registration versus the licensing process. The Charitable Trust Section will continue to send out a Charitable Solicitation Registration once the registration has been processed and also will continue to mail notice in advance of the expiration of a registration. Renewal registrations are due 30 days prior to expiration. Some organizations may see their expiration dates move by one month to an expiration date mandated by the amendments to COSA. Washington Secretary of State During the 2010 Legislative Session, the Charitable Solicitations Act was amended. As a result, many of the filing fees have been changed to fund an education and outreach program for charitable organizations. Charitable Organization initial registration fee: $60 Charitable Organization annual renewal fee: $40 Expedited (2-3 day) service fee: $50 for paper or in person filings. The Charities Program is working diligently with customers to fulfill every request. However, with recent budget cuts and increased volumes, you may experience intermittent delays. If you choose to file with expedited service, your filing will be considered with priority in the expedite order that it was received. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to process your requests as quickly as possible. Some charities in West Virginia will be affected by a change in state law that determines whether an audit or a financial review would need to be submitted along with registration documents to the Office of Secretary of State. House Bill 4248 passed during the 2010 Legislative Session. The laws go into effect June 11. Charitable organizations will not have to file any additional paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office. Charitable organizations raising more than $200,000 per fiscal year in contributions, excluding grants from governmental agencies or private foundations, will be required to submit an audit performed by an independent certified public accountant. Charitable organizations raising between $100,000 and $200,000, excluding grants from governmental agencies or private foundations, will be required to submit a statement of financial review by an independent certified public accountant. An audit of a charitable organization’s finances is extremely detailed while a financial review provides a more general analysis. The law was passed to help smaller charities save money by not having to perform a full audit while at the same time providing accountability to donors. The new law also provides a new definition of “solicit or solicitingâ€� that includes electronic means like e-mail, instant messaging, electronic bulletin board, or internet technology. The entire text of House Bill 4248 can be read on the State Legislature’s website at www.legis.state.wv.us New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today filed a lawsuit against an Albany-based company that issued thousands of notices designed to look like they were from the New York government, and bilked thousands of New York corporations and nonprofit charities out of more than $1 million. By issuing solicitations designed to look like official government notices. Read More Secretary of State of Colorado issues warning to corporations and non-profits of schemes preying on corporations unfamiliar with filing requirements in Colorado. State forms always have the filing fee indicated on the form unless the fee is determined by financial information that the corporation itself must provide the state. At ARMS, we will always review all fees and disbursements for any filing with our customers and detail all calculations. Beware of anyone offering to file a form for a flat fee that includes the state fee. These should always be separated on any invoice so you can track your fees to the states on an annual basis for budgetary purposes. Read More Pursuant to Section 79-29-215 Miss. Code Ann. (1972), all limited liability companies operating in Mississippi will be required to file an Annual Report with the Secretary of State beginning in 2011. Annual Registration Management Services, LLC has made the necessary changes to its software to incorporate the new requirement as part of its service. Please call your Compliance Specialist if you have any questions at 877-275-2767. Click Here to read Release. The Arizona Corporation Commission over the past year has been mailing out reminder notices to file your annual report. As of September 2009, The Commission will discontinue mailing out annual report reminder notices. Corporate Annual Report Fee Change for 2010 The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office is pleased to announce that the fee for filing corporate annual reports online will be reduced from $25.00 to $22.00 starting January 4th, 2010. This reduction in fees only applies to those annual reports filed using the Secretary of State’s online filing system. In addition, the Department of Finance Administration has agreed to reduce their on-line filing convenience fee for this transaction from $2 to $1.25. This means that corporations can file their 2010 report on-line for only $23.25 versus $25 through the mail. Several Secretary of State offices are investigating COMPLIANCE SERVICES for soliciting business implying that they must send corporate minutes and a check for filing. There is no statutory authority for corporate minutes to be filed with any government entity. California, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts States seeking to save money have focused their attention on reducing postage costs. Texas, for example, has announced that they will no longer send notices when it is time to file the Texas Public Information Form nor will business organizations receive necessary tax forms for filing. At the same time Texas has changed tax codes so that all business entities now create a tax liability, unless the business organization is designated as "tax exempt." Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships, etc. are now required to file an Annual Franchise Tax Report and Public Information Reports annually (previously these entities had no annual filing requirement). Delaware Corporations that are voided 3-1-2009 or later will be required to pay all tax, penalties and interest plus file ALL Annual Reports which were due at the time they were declared void. This is because 3-1-2009 is the first year a corporation is voided for not filing the annual report. Please Note: If the corporation has filed the required annual reports and was voided for non-payment of taxes, they are not required to file the annual reports again. DE Corporations that were voided prior to 3-1-2009 will be required to file annual reports as they have been in the past. The State of Delaware will require 2007 Annual Franchise Tax Reports to be filed electronically! Paper copies of the Delaware Annual Franchise Tax Reports WILL NOT be mailed. Failure to file a fully completed report, including the names and addresses of officers and directors, and remit the proper payment may result in penalty and/or interest charges, and will prevent the company from obtaining good standing certificates. Following is a list of annual reports due prior to 12/31/2006: Minnesota Secretary of State Domestic Corporation Annual Renewal Minnesota Secretary of State Foreign Corporation Annual Renewal Minnesota Secretary of State Nonprofit Annual Renewal Minnesota Secretary of State Domestic and Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Renewal Minnesota Secretary of State Domestic and Foreign Limited Liability Partnership Annual Registration North Dakota Domestic and FOreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report Pennsylvania Decennial Report of Association Continued Existence (For a more detailed list of reports that are unique to your Company, please contact us at 877-275-2767) The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations states that Florida entities that have not filed their 2006 UBRs will be dissolved on 9-6-06. A computer job will be run that evening to effect the dissolutions. All entities except LLCs will face penalties. After 9-6-06, dissolved entities will have to file reinstatement documents and pay additional fees to return to goodstanding. Contact us at 877-275-2767 for assistance in filing your Annual Report in Florida. Effective July 2006, Every domestic limited liability company, and every foreign limited liability company registered to transact business in the Commonwealth of Virginia, shall pay into the state treasury on or before October 1 (Previously September 1) in each year after the calendar year in which it was formed or registered to transact business. If you need Help obtaining the form, please contact any of our Compliance Specialist at 877-ASK-ARMS(877-275-2767). Following is a list of annual reports due prior to 4/1/2006 (For a more detailed list of reports that are unique to your Company, please contact us.): State of Delaware Annual Franchise Tax Report State of Georgia Annual Registration State of Iowa Biennial Corporate Report State of Massachusetts Annual Corporate Report Domestic & Foreign (For corporations with a Fiscal Year Ending 12/31) State of Michigan Limited Liability company Annual Statement State of Minnesota Secretary of State Corporation Annual Renewal State of Mississippi Corporate Annual Report State of Missouri Annual Corporate Registration State of Maine Annual Report for Corporations & Limited Liability Companies. State of Nevada Statement of Publication Form State of Nebraska Biennial Report for Limited Liability Companies & Non-Profit Corporations. State of New Hampshire Corporate Annual Report & Annual Franchise Tax State of North Dakota Limited Partnership Statement of Renewal State of Rhode Island Corporate Annual Report State of Tennessee Corporate Annual Report & Annual Limited Liability Report (For entities with a Fiscal Year Ending 12/31) State of Vermont Corporation Annual Report & Limited Liability Company Annual Report State of West Virginia Limited Liability Company Annual Report State of Wisconsin Domestic and Foreign Corporation Annual Report & Limited Liability Company Annual Report Following is a list of Annual Reports Due Prior to 4/1/2006 (For a more detailed list of reports that are unique to your Company, please contact us.): Alaska Biennial Report Alaska LLC Biennial Report Annual Report For Foreign and Domestic Corporations State of Delaware 2006 Annual Franchise Tax Report Iowa 2006 Biennial Corporate Report Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, Limited Liability Company Annual Statement Minnesota Secretary of State Corporation Annual Renewal Domestic & Foreign Corporation Annual Report State of Nevada Statement of Publication Form Profit Corporate Annual Report Vermont Corporation Annual Report Vermont Limited Liability Company Annual Report Wisconsin Domestic and Foreign Corporation Annual Report Wisconsin Limited Liability Company Annual Report Effective December 2006 the State of Delaware will no longer mail paper copies of the Annual Franchise Tax Reports for domestic corporations. A notice of the filing requirement be sent to each domestic corporation via the registered agent in lieu of the paper report form. If you need Help obtaining the form, please contact any of our Compliance Specialist at 877-ASK-ARMS(877-275-2767). Corporate filers should note that a new filing requirement is coming in early 2006. For the first time, Limited Liability Company (LLC) entities are required to file biennial reports in Iowa. AnnualRegistration.com now allows you to update/view/print Officer & Director Information online by accessing your account on our 128-bit encrypted secure web site. Log in to see how it works. If you would like a tour of our web site and view this new feature or any other feature call 877-ASK-ARMS (877-275-2767). AnnualRegistration.com has updated our Reports Section to allow you to sort by state, entity name, filing status or due date. AnnualRegistration.com now allows you to grant access to additional users at your company. Log in to see how it works. If you would like a tour of our web site and view this new feature or any other feature call 877-ASK-ARMS (877-275-2767).   For more information call us at 877-ASK-ARMS (877-275-2767)   Copyright 2004, AnnualRegistration.Com All rights reserved.