ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council -- if you don't know who they are -- you should.
Because they are the corporate-catering operators -- quietly taking over our Democracy, one cookie-cutter legislative act at a time.
If they continue on the course they're on -- one day we'll wake up and not recognize the Corp-u-copia that ALEC has quietly installed ... when no one was looking ...
ALEC in Arizona:
The Voice of Corporate Special Interests in the Halls of Arizona Legislature
People for the American Way Foundation
Common Cause -- Holding Power Accountable
html pdf
WHAT IS ALEC?
ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is a one-stop shop for corporations looking to identify and cultivate friendly state legislators and then work with them to get special-interest legislation introduced and passed. Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich, who helped build a nationwide conservative political infrastructure following the reelection of Richard Nixon, ALEC serves as a key voice for corporate special interests in state capitols across the country.
When legislators in multiple states introduce similar or identical bills to boost corporate power and profits, undermine workers’ rights, limit corporate accountability for pollution or harm to consumers, privatize public education or restrict voting rights, for example, the odds are good that the legislation they are pushing was written by corporate lobbyists working through ALEC. According to ALEC’s own legislative scorecard, 826 pieces of ALEC legislation were introduced in state legislatures around the country and 115 were enacted in 2009 alone.
ALEC’s major funders include Exxon Mobil, the Scaife family, the Coors family, Charles Koch, the Bradley family, and the Olin family. Members of ALEC’s board represent major corporations such as Altria, AT&T, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Koch Industries, Kraft, PhRMA, Wal-Mart, Peabody Energy and State Farm. According to the American Association for Justice, over 80 percent of ALEC’s finances come from corporate contributions.
ALEC serves as a forum for corporations to advise, lobby and sway legislators. By paying hefty dues and sponsorship fees, corporations are able to participate in ALEC conferences and seminars, where their lawyers, executives and lobbyists work alongside the elected officials they are attempting to influence. ALEC task forces comprised of representatives from corporations as well as elected legislators, draft and promote the organization’s "model legislation." Each task force is chaired by both elected officials and "private sector" members.
[... 100+ pages more ...]
For example, page 58 shows how ALEC model
"model legislation." (written by corporate lawyers and lobbyist) gets "cut and pasted" to become the Laws to corral non-corporate people (aka. "citizens") to get in line with Corporate intentions:
Voter ID Act
Arizona Legislation: Proposition 200 (2004)
Author: ALEC Sen. Russell Pearce (R-18)
Last Action: Passed with 56% of the vote, 11/2/04
Legislative Session: Ballot Measure
ALEC Model Legislation: Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act (ALEC)
Similarities/analysis: [side-by-side comparison]
ALEC Model Legislation: Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act (ALEC)
[vs.]
Arizona Legislation: Proposition 200 (2004)
The forensic match there, has about 99.9% "copy and paste" ALEC-origination certainty.
So, Who is this ALEC again? And who elected them as official legislative ghost-writers?
Well this researcher does a great job trying to answer those ALEC-origins questions ...
Flurry of photo ID laws tied to conservative group ALEC
by Ethan Magoc, News21, TucsonSentinel.com -- Aug 14, 2012
[...]
Lawmakers proposed 62 photo ID bills in 37 states in the 2011 and 2012 sessions, with multiple bills introduced in some states. Ten states have passed strict photo ID laws since 2008, though several may not be in effect in November because of legal challenges.
A News21 analysis found that more than half of the 62 bills were sponsored by members or conference attendees of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, D.C.-based, tax-exempt organization.
[...]
ALEC members drafted a voter ID bill in 2009, a year when the 501(c) tax-exempt organization had $5.3 million in undisclosed corporate and nonprofit contributions, according to Internal Revenue Service documents.
At ALEC's annual conferences, legislators, nonprofits and corporations work together without direct public input to develop bills that promote smaller government.
The group's Public Safety and Elections Task Force at the 2009 Atlanta meeting approved the "Voter ID Act," a photo ID bill modeled on Indiana and Georgia laws.
[...]
Go ahead neo-citizens, have an ALEC cookie ... Hmmm good, aren't they? Not a single surprise in the batch ...
VOTER ID ACT
(provided by campusprogress.org)
html pdf
SUMMARY
This legislation requires any United States citizen[i] desiring to vote in a state to provide proof of identity at the polls, outlines permissible provisional ballots, and optionally[ii] provides for a free ID to those who do not have a driver's license.
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.
(a) "Proof of identity" means a document or identification card that:
(1) Shows the name of the person to whom the document was issued;
(2) Shows a photograph of the person to whom the document was issued;
(3) Contains an expiration date, and is not expired.
(4) Is issued by the United States or the State of Arkansas.
SECTION 2. IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT TO VOTE.
(b) Any person desiring to vote in this state shall present proof of identity to the election official when appearing to vote in person either early or at the polls on Election Day.
(c)
(1) If the voter is listed on the precinct voter registration list but fails to provide proof of identity, the election official shall:
(A) Indicate on the precinct voter registration list that the voter did not provide proof of identity; and
(B) Request that the voter execute an affidavit in the presence of the election official containing:
(i) A written eligibility affirmation stating that he or she is a registered voter in the precinct in which he or she desires to vote and is eligible to vote; and
(ii) A statement that the voter cannot provide proof of identity because the voter:
[... and so on, and so on ...]
Copy, paste, print ...
This is no joke. It's just our Democracy -- Corporate 'advise and consent' style.
With that corporate-sponsored ALEC baking-up those Corp-u-copia treats.
Just a dollar a dozen. Scarf em up people.
ALEC has got your their back ...
The Ghost-writer in the Machine -- ALEC is 'Modeling' Legislation Near you.
by jamess -- Apr 01, 2011
It's no joke. It's just your Vote. It's your voice -- at least it used to be ...
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
ALEC doesn't only focus on Voter-Photo ID issues, as this next report clearly shows. ALEC is an equal opportunity legislative take-over operation ...
Liberal group identifies 30 ALEC 'model bills' in Missouri
by Eric W. Dolan, rawstory.com -- April 16, 2012
"The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a corporate bill mill that is exerting extraordinary and secretive influence in the Missouri legislature and in other states," the report stated. "Through ALEC, corporations hand Missouri legislators wish lists in the form of 'model' legislation that often directly benefit their bottom line at the expense of Missouri families."
[ the report ] (scribd.com)
View ALEC Exposed in Missouri --
ALEC "Model" Legislation Introduced In Missouri
Who is writing our laws?
2012-04-16
Exposed: ALEC's "Model" Legislation in the Missouri General Assembly:
So-Called 'Right to Work' Bills
Private Attorney Retention Act
Voter Registration Obstacles
Resolution Opposing Food and Beverage Taxes
Re-Casting the Tenth Amendment
Anti-Affordable Care Act Amendment
Resolution Asking Congress to Privatize Social Security
"Parents Rights" Resolution
Mortgage Fraud Act
Private Property Protection Act
Asbestos Legislation
Resolution Endorsing Electoral College
"The Great Schools Tax Credit Program Act"
"The Autism Scholarship Program Act"
That's a LOT of Corporate "ghost writing". I wonder when ALEC will take up that thorny issue of "Federal law vs State law" -- as in, which is preeminent, when? Who can privatize, what?
Probably only a matter of time ... and their ongoing opportunity to do so. (That issue has made the ALEC-Missouri wish list, afterall ...)