Corporate Backed Boiler-plated Legislation The Topic of Investigation Piece
Rep. Robin Vos said in a commentary that his relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council is a non-issue.
The not so surprising relationship between corporations and state Republican Legislators is the topic of an investigative piece called ALEC Exposed, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).
Critics say the American Legislative Exchange Council, heavily funded by corporations like Wal-Mart, GE, Boeing, and the Koch company, have boiler-plated over 1,000 pieces of Legislation and 25 percent make it to becoming law, according to a commentary published on the Racine Journal Times website.
Scott Kelly, press secretary for Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), said Wanggaard is a member of ALEC.
“But the ALEC meetings aren’t secret,” he said. “It’s no different than being a member of the National Conference of State Legislators.”
Kelly said the focus of the group is on information, brainstorming, and forming workgroups for legislation.
Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), a member of the Joint Finance Committee and state chair of ALEC, has also been criticized for using parts of the ALEC legislation in his charter school legislation.
But in the commentary, Vos said this was “a made-up issue.”
Calls to Vos were not returned before our publishing deadline.
Kringle Guy
8:19 pm on Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I would like to know if Wanggaard paid his own membership or had the state pay for it which a number of his colleagues in Madison have done.
It's just like the NCSL?!!! The NCSL is run by an Executive Committee made up of legislators only. Corporations and their lobbyists are not members of NCSL committees. NCSL rarely if ever develops "model" legislation, but it does widely share its governance rules and substantive policy positions online.
The NCSL does not accept corporate donations or members, ALEC only does. ALEC is all Republican, while the NCSL is bipartisan. ALEC allows no reporters, no viewing of their legislation and provides no list of their members. Everything about it is a secret except for when they have a meeting...and you can't go.
Wanggaard is lying or is just dumb. Denise should do some actual journalism.
Brian Dey
7:49 pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Organized labor have constantly met with top local, state and federal politicians (99.9% Democrats) and have helped draft numerous legislative initiatives. To name a few; WEAC, NEA, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU and so on and so forth. Somehow, I don't think they get together for tea and crumpettes. Richard Trumpka spends more time in the White House than Michelle Obama. Please, let's stop slandering good people for the sake of political gain.
Brian Dey
8:24 pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Just a little background info on the CMD. It's founder, John Stauber, is a left-wing activist that authored such books as "Banana Republicans", so CMD has reputation of aspiring to theories of the "right-wing conspiracy." Hardly an unbiased source, and who have created debunked conspiracy theories in the past. The piece referred here is an opinion written by an artist and community activist. Vos is right, "There is nothing here."
charles bowman
7:06 pm on Sunday, April 8, 2012
Some of these characters at the top of ALEX makes it look like the KKK in blue robes!
C. Sanders
7:29 pm on Sunday, April 8, 2012
@charles .... it's ALEC [American Legislative Exchange Council]
Not ALEX
And as for your comment about members "look like the KKK in blue robes", why don't you confine yourself to barking at the moon and howling at other matters you will never understand.