Template:ALEC News: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:19, 17 March 2016

ALEC News

Barring Plastic Bag Bans, another ALEC Law Takes Aim at Local Democracy

The pay-to-play model of government advanced by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) scored another victory this week. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Senate voted along party lines to approve a bill that would prohibit local communities from issuing their own rules on plastic bags and other containers.

This is part of an emerging national trend.

Preventing local governments from banning, charging a fee for, or otherwise regulating plastic bags is part of a national strategy by corporate interests and groups they fund, like ALEC to override progressive policy gains at the city and county level. Read the rest of this item here.

CMD Calls on ALEC to Disclose Information during Sunshine Week

In the spirit of national Sunshine Week, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has written a letter to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its state chairs (see list) calling on them to live up to their own statements about the importance of transparency and release basic information about their legislative operations.

"It's interesting that ALEC has touted the principles of public transparency for government accountability," said CMD executive director Lisa Graves. "Now we'd like to see ALEC apply those principles to their own legislative activities and interactions between ALEC legislators and ALEC corporations that undermine accountability." Read the rest of this item here.

Cashing in on Kids: 172 ALEC Education Bills Push Privatization in 2015

Despite widespread public opposition to the corporate-driven education privatization agenda, at least 172 measures reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bills were introduced in 42 states in 2015, according to an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy, publishers of ALECexposed.org and PRWatch.org. (A PDF version of this report may be downloaded here.)

One of ALEC's biggest funders is Koch Industries and the Koch brothers' fortune. The Kochs have had a seat at the table—where the private sector votes as equals with legislators—on ALEC's education task force via their "grassroots" group Americans for Prosperity and their Freedom Partners group, which was described as the Kochs' "secret bank."

The Kochs also have a voice on ALEC's Education Task Force through multiple state-based think tanks of the State Policy Network, ALEC's sister organization, which is funded by many of the same corporations and foundations and donor entities. Read the rest of this item here.

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-<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13054/cashing-kids-172-alec-education-bills-2015 Cashing in on Kids: 172 ALEC Education Bills Push Privatization in 2015]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13060/barring-plastic-bag-bans-another-alec-bill-takes-aim-local-democracy Barring Plastic Bag Bans, another ALEC Law Takes Aim at Local Democracy]</h3>
-[[Image:Cash_4_Kids270px.jpg|270px|center]]Despite widespread public opposition to the corporate-driven education privatization agenda, at least 172 measures reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bills were introduced in 42 states in 2015, according to an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy, publishers of ALECexposed.org and PRWatch.org. (A PDF version of this report may be downloaded [http://www.prwatch.org/files/03-08-15am_alec_education_report_by_cmd.pdf here].)
+[[Image:Plastic_shopping_bag270px.jpg|270 px|center]]The pay-to-play model of government advanced by the [http://www.alecexposed.org/ American Legislative Exchange Council] (ALEC) scored another victory this week. On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Senate voted along party lines to approve a bill that would prohibit local communities from issuing their own rules on plastic bags and other containers.
-One of ALEC's biggest funders is Koch Industries and the Koch brothers' fortune. The Kochs have had a seat at the table—where the private sector votes as equals with legislators—on ALEC's education task force via their "grassroots" group Americans for Prosperity and their Freedom Partners group, which was described as the Kochs' "secret bank."
+This is part of an emerging national trend.
-The Kochs also have a voice on ALEC's Education Task Force through multiple state-based think tanks of the State Policy Network, ALEC's sister organization, which is funded by many of the same corporations and foundations and donor entities. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13054/cashing-kids-172-alec-education-bills-2015 here].
+Preventing local governments from banning, charging a fee for, or otherwise regulating plastic bags is part of a [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/02/13029/2016-ALEC-local-control national strategy] by corporate interests and groups they fund, like ALEC to override progressive policy gains at the city and county level. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13060/barring-plastic-bag-bans-another-alec-bill-takes-aim-local-democracy here].
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-<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13055/koch-alec-right-work-power-play-exposed-illinois Koch-ALEC Right to Work Power Play Exposed in a Small Illinois Village]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13061/cmd-calls-alec-disclose-information-during-sunshine-week CMD Calls on ALEC to Disclose Information during Sunshine Week]</h3>
-[[Image:RTW-Right_to_lose270px.jpg|270 px|center]]Last month, [http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160222/business/160229677/ four unions sued] the Village of Lincolnshire in federal court in Chicago. The unions representing engineers, construction workers, and carpenters--including three affiliated with the AFL-CIO--filed suit on February 18, 2016, to have Lincolnshire's anti-union "right-to-work" ordinance declared invalid and prevent its enforcement.
+[[Image:Sunshine_week-270px.jpg|270 px|center]]In the spirit of national Sunshine Week, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has written a letter to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its state chairs (see [http://www.prwatch.org/files/alec_state_chairs.pdf list]) calling on them to live up to their own statements about the importance of transparency and release basic information about their legislative operations.
-Two days after the federal lawsuit was filed, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 [http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lincolnshire/news/ct-lsr-right-to-work-tl-0303-20160223-story.html filed a related lawsuit] alleging that Lincolnshire Mayor Elizabeth Brandt wrongfully barred two men from speaking against the ordinance when it was originally being considered in December.
+"It's interesting that ALEC has touted the principles of public transparency for government accountability," said CMD executive director Lisa Graves. "Now we'd like to see ALEC apply those principles to their own legislative activities and interactions between ALEC legislators and ALEC corporations that undermine accountability." Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13061/cmd-calls-alec-disclose-information-during-sunshine-week here].
-So how did a town with a population of 7,280 become a frontline in the national fight to destroy unions? Because Lincolnshire [http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160222/business/160229677 is in the vanguard] of the latest, localized scheme to dismantle unions drawn directly from the Koch playbook. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13055/koch-alec-right-work-power-play-exposed-illinois here].
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-<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/02/13049/bankruptcy-documents-indicate-arch-coal-funding-climate-denial-legal-group Bankruptcy Filing Shows Arch Coal Funding for Climate Denial Legal Group]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13054/cashing-kids-172-alec-education-bills-2015 Cashing in on Kids: 172 ALEC Education Bills Push Privatization in 2015]</h3>
-[[Image:Chris_Horner-Arch_Coal270px.jpg|270 px|center|frame|<center>Chris Horner<br>E&E Legal Senior Legal Fellow</center>]]The Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal), a group best known for filing lawsuits seeking climate scientists' personal emails, has secretly received funding from Arch Coal, one of the largest coal producers in the United States. The funding is revealed in [https://cases.primeclerk.com/archcoal/Home-DownloadPDF?id1=Mjc3NzE5&id2=0 documents] recently filed as part of the Arch Coal bankruptcy proceedings which list the coal company's creditors.
+[[Image:Cash_4_Kids270px.jpg|270px|center]]Despite widespread public opposition to the corporate-driven education privatization agenda, at least 172 measures reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model bills were introduced in 42 states in 2015, according to an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy, publishers of ALECexposed.org and PRWatch.org. (A PDF version of this report may be downloaded [http://www.prwatch.org/files/03-08-15am_alec_education_report_by_cmd.pdf here].)
-The Arch funding is revealed just months after Alpha Natural Resources, another coal company facing bankruptcy, was identified by [https://theintercept.com/2015/08/25/chris-horner-coal/ ''The Intercept''] as providing funding to a group closely connected to E&E Legal, the Free Market Law Clinic, as well as funding directly to E&E Legal's lawyer, Chris Horner. The two organizations share staff and fellows, often working together to bring lawsuits.
+One of ALEC's biggest funders is Koch Industries and the Koch brothers' fortune. The Kochs have had a seat at the table—where the private sector votes as equals with legislators—on ALEC's education task force via their "grassroots" group Americans for Prosperity and their Freedom Partners group, which was described as the Kochs' "secret bank."
-Although E&E Legal is listed as a creditor, the Arch court filing does not provide any other details that would indicate the size of the funding nor when any payment or payments were made. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/02/13049/bankruptcy-documents-indicate-arch-coal-funding-climate-denial-legal-group here].
+The Kochs also have a voice on ALEC's Education Task Force through multiple state-based think tanks of the State Policy Network, ALEC's sister organization, which is funded by many of the same corporations and foundations and donor entities. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13054/cashing-kids-172-alec-education-bills-2015 here].
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