BOYCOTT ALEC!!!
Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist
ALEC = American Legislative Exchange Council
By MIKE McINTIRENYTimes Published: April 21, 2012
Jay LaPrete/Associated Press
Bill Seitz, an Ohio state senator and ALEC member
It was quickly flagged at the Washington headquarters of the American
Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a business-backed group that
views such "false claims" laws as encouraging frivolous lawsuits.
ALEC's membership includes not only corporations, but nearly 2,000
state legislators across the country — including dozens who would vote
on the Ohio bill.
One of them, Bill Seitz, a prominent Republican state senator, wrote
to a fellow senior lawmaker to relay ALEC's concerns about "the recent
upsurge" in false-claims legislation nationwide. "While this is
understandable, as states are broke, the considered advice from our
friends at ALEC was that such legislation is not well taken and should
not be approved," he said in a private memorandum.
The legislation was reworked to ease some of ALEC's concerns, making
it one of many bills the group has influenced by mobilizing its
lawmaker members, a vast majority of them Republicans.
Despite its generally low profile, ALEC has drawn scrutiny recently
for promoting gun rights policies like the Stand Your Ground law at
the center of the Trayvon Martin shooting case in Florida, as well as
bills to weaken labor unions and tighten voter identification rules.
Amid the controversies, several companies, including Coca-Cola, Intuit
and Kraft Foods, have left the group.
Most of the attention has focused on ALEC's role in creating model
bills, drafted by lobbyists and lawmakers, that broadly advance a
pro-business, socially conservative agenda. But a review of internal
ALEC documents shows that this is only one facet of a sophisticated
operation for shaping public policy at a state-by-state level. The
records offer a glimpse of how special interests effectively turn
ALEC's lawmaker members into stealth lobbyists, providing them with
talking points, signaling how they should vote and collaborating on
bills affecting hundreds of issues like school vouchers and tobacco
taxes.
The documents — hundreds of pages of minutes of private meetings,
member e-mail alerts and correspondence — were obtained by the
watchdog group Common Cause and shared with The New York Times. Common
Cause, which said it got some of the documents from a whistle-blower
and others from public record requests in state legislatures, is using
the files to support an Internal Revenue Service complaint asserting
that ALEC has abused its tax-exempt status, something ALEC denies.
"We know its mission is to bring together corporations and state
legislators to draft profit-driven, anti-public-interest legislation,
and then help those elected officials pass the bills in statehouses
from coast to coast," said the president of Common Cause, Bob Edgar.
"If that's not lobbying, what is?"
ALEC argues that it provides a forum for lawmakers to network and to
hear from constituencies that share an interest in promoting
free-market, limited-government policies. Lobbying laws differ by
state, and ALEC maintains that if any of its members' interactions
with one another happen to qualify as lobbying in a particular state,
that does not mean ALEC, as an organization, lobbies.
Mr. Seitz, who sits on ALEC's governing board, said he believed that
liberal groups like Common Cause are attacking the organization out of
frustration that "they don't have a comparable group that is as
effective as ALEC in enacting policies into law." He said that ALEC
was not much different from other professional associations that
represent state legislators, and that members were free to ignore or
disagree with the group's policy positions.
"This concept that private companies are writing the bills and handing
them to gullible legislators to trundle off and pass is false," Mr.
Seitz said. "There is nothing new, surprising or sinister about
private-sector organizations coming together with legislators to share
ideas and learn from each other."
Continued Here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html?_r=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120422
Wikipedia LIST of ALEC Members & Businesses
American Legislative Exchange Council
Abbreviation ALEC
Motto "Limited Government, Free Markets, Federalism"[1]
Formation 1973
Type Tax exempt, non-profit organization, 501(c)(3)
Headquarters Washington, D.C.,
United States
Chairman Noble Ellington
Website
alec.org
The ALEC board of directors is composed of the following:[7]
2012 ALEC National Chairman
Rep. Dave Frizzell Indiana
First Vice Chairman
Rep. John Piscopo Connecticut
Second Vice Chairman
Rep. Linda Upmeyer Iowa
Treasurer
Sen. Chip Rogers Georgia
Secretary
Rep. Liston Barfield South Carolina
Chairman Emeritus
Rep. Noble Ellington Louisiana
Sen. Owen Johnson New York
Rep. Dolores Mertz Iowa
Immediate Past Chairman
Rep. Tom Craddick Texas
Board Members
Sen. Curt Bramble Utah
Rep. Jon Brien Rhode Island
Rep. Harold Brubaker North Carolina
Sen. Bill Cadman Colorado
Sen. Jim Buck Indiana
Rep. Philip Gunn Mississippi
Rep. Joe Harrison Louisiana
Speaker William J. Howell Virginia
Sen. Michael Lamoureux Arkansas
Rep. Steve McDaniel Tennessee
Sen. Ray Merrick Kansas
Sen. Dean Rhoads Nevada
Sen. William Seitz Ohio
Rep. Fred Steen II North Carolina
Rep. Curry Todd Tennessee
Sen. Leah Vukmir Wisconsin
Sen. Susan Wagle Kansas
[edit] Private enterprise board
The ALEC private enterprise board is composed of the following.[10]
Person Company Title Sector Status
Preston Baldwin Centerpoint360 Chairman Tobacco lobbyist Active
Sandra Oliver Bayer Vice Chairman Pharmaceutical Active
John Del Gorno GlaxoSmithKline Vice Chairman Pharmaceutical Active
David Powers Reynolds American Treasurer Tobacco Active
Maggie Sans Wal-Mart Stores Secretary Retail Active
Jerry Watson Chairman Emeritus Bail Bonds Emeritus
Lisa A. Sano Blocker Energy Future Holdings Board Member Energy/Oil Active
Don Bohn Johnson & Johnson Board Member Pharmaceutical Active
Jeffrey Bond PhRMA Board Member Pharmaceutical Active
William Carmichael American Bail Coalition Board Member Bail Bonds Active
Derek Crawford Kraft Foods, Inc. Board Member Food and Beverage Active
Robert Jones Pfizer Inc. Board Member Pharmaceutical Active
Teresa Jennings Reed Elsevier Board Member Publishing Resigned[11]
Kenneth Lane Diageo Board Member Alcoholic Beverages Active
Bill Leahy AT&T Board Member Telecommunications Active
Richard McArdle United Parcel Service Board Member Shipping Active
Kelly Mader Peabody Energy Board Member Energy/Oil Active
Mike Morgon Koch Companies Public Sector,LLC Board Member Lobbyist Active
Daniel Smith Altria Board Member Tobacco Active
Randy Smith ExxonMobil Board Member Energy/Oil Active
Russell Smoldon Salt River Project Board Member Energy/Water Active
Roland Spies State Farm Board Member Insurance Active
[edit] State chairmen
ALEC chairmen from state legislatures are:[12]
State Leaders (Party)
Alabama Mary Sue McClurkin R
Alaska Wes Keller R
Arizona Debbie Lesko R
Arkansas Linda Collins-Smith R
Michael Lamoureux R
California Joel Anderson R
Colorado Bill Cadman R
B.J. Nikkel R
Connecticut Debra Lee Hovey R
Kevin D. Witkos R
Delaware Vacant
Florida Jimmy Patronis R
Georgia Calvin Hill, Jr. R
Chip Rogers R
Hawaii Gene Ward R
Idaho Patti Anne Lodge R
Illinois Kirk Dillard R
Renée Kosel R
Indiana Jim Buck R
David Wolkins R
Iowa Linda J. Miller R
Kansas Ray Merrick R
Kentucky Tom Buford R
Mike Harmon R
Louisiana Greg Cromer R
Joe Harrison R
State Leaders (Party)
Maine Richard Rosen R
Maryland Michael Hough R
Christopher Shank R
Massachusetts Nicholas Boldyga R
Harriett Stanley D
Michigan Tonya Schuitmaker R
Minnesota Mary Kiffmeyer R
Mississippi Jim Ellington R
Missouri Tim Jones R
Jason T. Smith R
Montana Gary MacLaren R
Scott Reichner R
Nebraska Jim Smith
Nevada Barbara Cegavske R
New Hampshire Gary L. Daniel R
Jordan G. Ulery R
New Jersey Steve Oroho R
Jay Webber R
New Mexico Paul C. Bandy R
William Payne R
New York Owen H. Johnson R
North Carolina Fred F. Steen II R
North Dakota Alan H. Carlson R
Bette Grande R
Ohio John Adams R
State Leaders (Party)
Oklahoma Gary Banz R
Cliff Aldridge R
Oregon Gene Whisnant R
Pennsylvania Vacant
Rhode Island Francis T. Maher, Jr. R
Jon Brien D
South Carolina Liston Barfield R
Thomas Alexander R
South Dakota Deb Peters R
Valentine B. Rausch R
Tennessee Curry Todd R
Texas Charles F. Howard R
Jim Jackson R
Kel Seliger R
Utah Curtis S. Bramble R
Wayne L. Niederhauser R
Chris Herrod R
Vermont Kevin J. Mullin R
Virginia John A. Cosgrove, Jr. R
Stephen H. Martin R
Washington Jan Angel R
Don Benton R
West Virginia Eric Householder R
Wisconsin Scott Suder R
Robin J. Vos R
Wyoming Peter S. Illoway R
Controversies[edit] NPR
National Public Radio, NPR, has aired several programs about ALEC and
its influence in the drafting of legislation[17] and one program,
Shaping State Laws with Little Scrutiny, aired on October 29,
2010.[18]
After the later NPR report was aired, ALEC released a statement
responding to some of the accusations in the NPR story.[19]
[edit] William Cronon
in the midst of protests surrounding Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's
in March 2011 Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill, William Cronon, a
historian who teaches at the University of Wisconsin devoted the first
post on his newly-established Scholar as Citizen blog to ALEC. He
addressed the largely behind-the-scenes role of the ALEC in working
for the passage of ideologically conservative legislation at the state
level. William Cronon pointed out that neither the model legislation
which ALEC produces, nor the list of elected officials who are members
of ALEC are publicly available.[20][21] This resulted in the issuing
of a FOIA request by the Wisconsin Republican Party to obtain all
e-mail from Cronon's university account relating to Republican topics;
Paul Krugman and the American Historical Association defended Cronon's
right to conduct public political research. They decried the action as
an apparent attempt at intimidation.[21][22]
[edit] April 2011 protests
On April 29, 2011, hundreds gathered in Cincinnati to protest ALEC for
the first time outside the group's Spring Task Force Meeting, and to
vocalize demands for legislation serving the public interest.
Teach-ins, a rally, street theatre, and a march led to a second
protest in New Orleans at ALEC's Annual Meeting, held on August 3–6,
2011.[23]
[edit] Whistleblower and ALEC Exposed
On July 13, 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy[24] and The
Nation published a file leak which made available more than 800 pieces
of ALEC's model legislation, brought to them by an organizer of the
Cincinnati ALEC protest. The files were leaked to the organizer, Aliya
Rahman, via a two-point connection to a source inside ALEC.[25] For
ALEC Exposed, the Center for Media and Democracy made a new website
[26] to house over 800 ALEC "model" bills which were previously
unavailable to the public. It developed dozens of tools to enable
citizens to track ALEC politicians,[27] ALEC corporations [28] and
ALEC bills moving in their states.[29]
Simultaneously, The Nation devoted a special edition [30] of its
magazine to breaking the story on ALEC Exposed, featuring expert
analysis by John Nichols,[31] Joel Rogers, Laura Dresser,[32] Wendell
Potter,[33] Lisa Graves,[34] Julie Underwood,[35] Mike Elk, and Bob
Sloan.[36] On July 14, 2011, the Los Angeles Times announced that
government watchdog Common Cause would issue a challenge to ALEC's
nonprofit status, on the grounds that ALEC "spends most of its
resources lobbying, in violation of the rules governing nonprofit
organizations."[37]
On July 21, 2011, Terry Gross interviewed Louisiana Representative
Noble Ellington, then the national chairman of ALEC, about the group's
corporate members' role in drafting legislation. Gross, commenting on
the fact that it is impossible for non-members to know whether pieces
of legislation introduced in statehouses are based on ALEC models,
asked if Ellington thought the process was transparent. Ellington
responded saying, "[w]hile we may be discussing it, it may not be
transparent, but before it's passed, legislators have to say, 'We
approve this model legislation.' Not the corporations. They don't have
a vote. Legislators say [what is introduced]. ... And then the
legislators can introduce that legislation in [their] state. It goes
through a committee, the public has input, they have an opportunity to
talk to their legislators about the legislation — so I don't see how
you can get more transparent than that." When asked if the public had
a voice in the process Ellington responded that the "taxpaying public
is represented there at the table because I'm there."[38]
[edit] Boilerplate
In November 2011, Florida State Representative Rachel Burgin (R),
introduced legislation to call on the federal government to reduce
corporate taxes. The text still included the boilerplate "WHEREAS, it
is the mission of the American Legislative Exchange Council to
advance..."[39] While the bill was quickly withdrawn and the phrase
removed, returning as HM717,[40] Common Cause blogger Nick Surgey
explained the greater significance:
With some justification, you might ask why this really matters: even
if this bill passed it wouldn't force Congress to act. However, I
think it matters because the states play a very significant role in
setting the national agenda. Corporations know this, which is why they
frequently use ALEC to secretly introduce their model bills, creating
the impression of widespread popular uproar in the state houses. In
recent years they have used this mechanism for both attacks on the
EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases (ALEC bill introduced in 22
states) and in pushing back against the Affordable Care Act (ALEC bill
introduced in 44 states).[41]
Surgey went on to comment:
It matters who writes our laws and it matters who stands to benefit
from them. When these are the very same entity, then we as citizens
should have the right to know this.[41]
[edit] Florida 'Stand Your Ground' law
According to weblog Talking Points Memo, the Florida Stand-your-ground
law was identical to a bill proposed by ALEC. The law has frequently
been mentioned as the reason George Zimmerman was not immediately
arrested in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.[42] However, the
legislator who wrote the law, Dennis Baxley, wrote that the Stand Your
Ground law does not seem to apply in this case and that authorities
are still investigating the matter.[43]
[edit] Boycott, loss of support, and task force disbanding
On April 4, 2012 the political advocacy group Color of Change
announced a call to boycott Coca-Cola due to its support of ALEC and
their advocacy work that allegedly encourages voter suppression
through voter ID laws.[44] Within hours, Coca-Cola announced it was
ending its relationship with ALEC in apparent response to the
threatened boycott. Kraft Foods and Intuit dropped support for the
group under apparent pressure.[45][46] Additionally, Pepsi had quietly
withdrawn its support of ALEC earlier in the year.[47] On April 9, the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also withdrew their support for
ALEC.[48] McDonald's severed ties with ALEC on April 10, 2012.[49] On
April 12, Reed Elsevier dropped ALEC and Wendy's said that it had done
so at the end of 2011.[50] Mars, Inc. has also dropped its memberships
with ALEC.[51] On April 13, 2010, American Traffic Solutions announced
that it would not renew membership with ALEC.[52] On April 17, Blue
Cross Blue Shield announced that they would not renew its membership
with ALEC.[53] On April 19 Yum! Brands, which operates Taco Bell, KFC,
Pizza Hut, and other restaurants, announced that they had dropped
their support of ALEC.[54]
On April 17, 2012, ALEC announced that it was disbanding its Public
Safety and Elections Task Force, which provided model bills for voter
ID requirements and "stand your ground" gun laws.[55] On April 18, the
National Center for Public Policy Research announced the recreation of
a voter ID task force in the wake of the ALEC boycott.[56][57]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council#History
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
--
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