Bill Would Shine Light on ALEC
Right-wing group would have to register as lobbyist, disclose its payments to legislators.
Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by Rosina Peixoto.
Democratic lawmakers are circulating a proposal that would require the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to be more transparent about its activities involving Wisconsin GOP lawmakers.
ALEC was created in the 1970s to unite powerful business interests with conservative state legislators around the country. They meet to develop “model legislation” that state policymakers can tweak and introduce in their home states. The legislation developed by ALEC hits a range of issues, like taxes, privatizing government services and programs, health care, environmental deregulation, tort reform, guns, and voter ID.
Since 2006, between two and three dozen Wisconsin lawmakers have been members of ALEC or attended ALEC conferences, according to the Center for Media and Democracy. And since 2011, at least three dozen bills or state budget provisions approved by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Scott Walker were based on ALEC model legislation, according to the group.
The transparency measure sponsored by Rep. Chris Taylor, of Madison, would require ALEC and groups like it to:
Register with the state as a lobbying group if they create so-called model legislation or influence state legislative action;
Disclose information about so-called scholarships they provide to legislative members to attend conferences. That information would have to be disclosed within 90 days and identify the legislators, legislative staff, and other state officials who received the funds, along with the names of the corporations or individuals that fund the scholarships.
Career Politician Scott Walker and Wisconsin republicans are as greasy, duplicitous and crooked as they come folks.
Dump Walker 2018!
Dump all republicans 2018!
I would be for this bill as long as the public or private unions have to state where their funding comes from. A grocery bagger at the local Metro market on Van Buren has every right to know how her union (UFCW)dues are being spent in the involvement of political donations.
@Troll, why don’t you just quit your evil union grocery bagger job and get a life? Have some conviction. I’ve turned down Seafarer’s Union jobs all the time. If their cuts too much, ‘dump em. Start a business, be an entrepreneur, be successful and take some personal responsibilty for your life instead of griping and complaining all the time. It’s wild west capitalism out there, no time for union grocery bagger jobs. No time for griping and whining.
Troll- you been watching too much fox news. Union dues does not go toward political donations. It has to be a separate fund with only volunteered funds. Typical republican bull talking points that are lies.
ALEC, founded by Paul Weyrich, taken over by Koch’s upon his death is a corporate Fascist web organization that writes ALL our laws, boilerplates them, sends them to Every Red State legislature. Since ALL republican politicians are members of ALEC, they pass these usually under “immediate implementation”….in other words….shoves them down our throats! Thousands of these Corporate laws have been passed on us and have led to RED States total control of State Gov’ts throughout 34 Red States. Koch’s Libertarian ideology is NOT conducive to Democracy but is Fascist. Our America doesn’t Want laws for Fascist corporations…we want our Legislatures to write their own darn laws. ALEC doesn’t let us see their membership list any longer and neither will we see Koch’s sister group ACCE (which is going after local Gov’ts). ACCE is protected from our view. Subversive web organizations such as these 2 mentioned are just 2 of the MANY web groups that the Koch’s have established and use against Democracy. They are now BIGGER than the Republican Party itself.