TIN:
SCHEDULE O
(Form 990 or 990-EZ)
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
(Form 990 or 990-EZ)
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Supplemental Information to Form 990 or 990-EZ
Complete to provide information for responses to specific questions on
Form 990 or 990-EZ or to provide any additional information.
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
OMB No. 1545-0047
2020
Open to Public
Inspection
Inspection
Name of the organization
American Tort Reform Association
Employer identification number
52-1464785
52-1464785
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Form 990, Part III, Line 1, Description of Organization Mission: | The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) is the nation's first organization exclusively dedicated to repairing our civil justice system. ATRA fights in Congress, in state legislatures, and in the courts to create a fairer civil justice system for all. We identify and champion elected officials and judges who want to fix the system. Our mission is to see real justice in our courts. In the media, we serve as the national voice of the civil justice reform movement. Today, America's $429 billion tort system is the most expensive in the industrialized world. Aggressive personal injury lawyers target certain professions, industries and individual companies as profit centers. They systematically recruit clients who may never have suffered a real illness or injury and use scare tactics, combined with the promise of awards, to bring these people into massive class-action lawsuits. They effectively tap the media to rally sentiment for multi-million-dollar punitive damage awards. This leads many companies to settle questionable lawsuits just to stay out of court. These lawsuits are bad for business; they are also bad for society. They compromise access to affordable health care, punish consumers by raising the cost of goods and services, chill innovation, and undermine the notion of personal responsibility. The personal injury lawyers who benefit from the status quo use their fees to perpetuate the cycle of lawsuit abuse. They have reinvested millions of dollars into the political process and in more litigation that acts as a drag on our economy. Some have compared the political and judicial influence of the personal injury bar to a fourth branch of government. ATRA works to counter that influence by challenging this status quo and continually leading the fight for commonsense reforms in the states, Congress and the court of public opinion. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4a, Continued: | Each June and December, ATRA publishes "The Tort Reform Record" to record the accomplishments of the latest legislative year. It includes a two-page, state-by-state summary of the ATRA-supported reforms enacted by the states since 1986. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 1 | An Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, consisting of the Chair, the Chair Elect, the Immediate Past Chair, the President, the General Counsel, the Secretary and the Treasurer shall, between meetings of the Board of Directors, have and may exercise, so far as may be permitted by law, full authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the Association except that the Executive Committee may not change, supplement or repeal the Association's Articles of Incorporation or the Bylaws, may not fill vacancies on the Board of Directors, may not elect Officers, may not suspend or cancel membership in the Association, may not convene a membership meeting and may not dissolve the Association. The Executive Committee shall keep a record of its acts and shall promptly report such acts to the Board of Directors. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 6 | The Association has dues paying members. ATRA's membership is diverse and includes nonprofits, small and large companies, as well as state and national trade, business and professional associations. There are three classes of members: Class A, Class B, and Associate. Class A members are any organization which is not an insurer, law firm or association of insurers or lawyers. Class B members consist of all other organizations and associate members are any individual. Associate members may be considered honorary members if the individual has contributed to the Association's mission through their decision making, leadership or scholarship. Class A members have voting rights. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a | The members of the Board of Directors are elected by a majority of Class A members voting in person or by proxy. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b | A draft of the 990 is provided to management for review. A complete copy is circulated to the Board of Directors prior to filing with the IRS. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c | All board members and employees are given a copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy and are required to return it to the Association. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 | The President of the Association's compensation is reviewed annually by the Executive Committee who uses compensation surveys and ASAE data. All other key employee's compensation is determined by the President who reviews compensation surveys and ASAE data to make the decision on appropriate compensation levels. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 | The Association would consider making the governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public if requested to do so. However, these documents are typically not made available to the public. |
| Form 990, Part IX, line 11g | ATRA program consultants/ contract services 111,150. Grassroots program consultants/ contract services 1,727,993. Administrative consultants/ contract services 196,109. |
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see the Instructions for Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Cat. No. 51056K
Schedule O (Form 990 or 990-EZ) 2020
Additional Data
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