Results tagged “ALEC”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2012
Contact: Lori Haas, Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws, (804) 399-4893
Anna Scholl, ProgressVA, (434) 218-2113, anna@progressva.org

IN WAKE OF AURORA SHOOTINGS, WHY ARE 12 VIRGINIA LEGISLATORS SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY ON AN ORGANIZATION WITH 17-YEAR HISTORY OF OPPOSING COMMONSENSE VIOLENCE PREVENTION?

Public should ask if the continued use of taxpayer funds to subsidize the American Legislative Exchange Council is inappropriate

Salt Lake City, UT - In light of the July 20^th shooting in Aurora, Colorado, it's time for Virginia families to question why Virginia legislators continue to spend taxpayer funds on an organization that has opposed commonsense gun violence prevention measures for over seventeen years. Twelve Virginia legislators are currently in Salt Lake City at the closed-door American Legislative Exchange Council conference. Since at least 1995, ALEC, at the urging of member and sponsor, the National Rifle Association, has pushed model firearm legislation that destroys families and communities.   Of note, ALEC's model legislation initiatives include a "Resolution on Semi-Automatic Firearms" that opposes bans on weapons like the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Assault Rifle equipped with a 100 round drum magazine that James Holmes used to kill or injure 70 Americans in Aurora, CO

Since 1995, ALEC has pushed legislation roundly opposed by Virginia families, including attempts to legalize guns on campus and to force Virginia to recognize concealed handgun permits from other states whose standards are not as tough as ours.

While ALEC has recently attempted to distance itself from its own radical record on gun policy, the events here in Salt Lake City tell a different story. Far from being disowned, the National Rifle Association is a prominent exhibitor in the conference hall. Chuck Cunningham, political director at the NRA, is in attendance and meeting with legislators and the NRA is sponsoring a trip to a local shooting range on the last day of the conference.

Virginia families need to know why legislators who are members of ALEC continue spend taxpayer funds in support of an organization with such a dangerous public safety record. 

Lori Haas, the mother of a VA Tech shooting survivor who is in Salt Lake City this week, said,  "Legislators are entitled to their own opinions, but not to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize campaigns for irresponsible and dangerous public policy. As was made clear again this week, assault weapons are deadly instruments of war designed with one purpose--to kill and wound large numbers of people--and have no place in our communities. The more we learn about ALEC, from their support of Stand Your Ground Laws to advocating for Assault Weapons in our communities, it's clear they have a long record of opposition to measures combating gun violence that cannot be redeemed. It's past time for our elected representatives to stop spending our dollars to support such radical positions."

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Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws, a project of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy. 

ProgressVA is a multi-issue, progressive advocacy organization devoted to engaging citizens from across the Commonwealth around issues of immediate state and local concern. www.ProgressVA.org

June 5, 2012

The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Democrats are urging state legislators to leave a conservative group that has been under fire in recent weeks... Party leaders adopted a resolution at this weekend's convention to urge legislators to leave ALEC, to both 'expose and reverse or amend ALEC-drafted bills already passed in Virginia' and block future ALEC bills."

Progressive Point: Progressive Point: Virginia voters have made it clear they want their elected officials to represent their interests and values. Over the weekend, progressives from across the Commonwealth called on their representatives to follow the lead of over 40 of their fellow legislators in distancing themselves from the corporate front-group ALEC.

Not only is ALEC ghostwriting Virginia's laws and influencing our legislators, but legislators under ALEC's influence are using our tax dollars to travel to their closed-door meetings. We thank those legislators who are publicly standing with Virginia families--but Virginians need all our legislators to be accountable to us.

Get the Facts: Via ProgressVA:

• 50 of Virginia's current 140 State Senators and Delegates have communicated that are not affiated with ALEC.


• Over the past few weeks, 16 corporations, 4 nonprofits and over 50 state legislators have left the organization.


• ALEC is a corporate front group that ghost writes a range of anti-family legislation, including efforts to privatize schools, roll back clean air and water protections, encourage vigilante justice, and suppress the vote.

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May 31, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reported yesterday, "A press release issued today identifies and praises 35 Virginia state lawmakers for NOT belonging to a national lobby group. The legislators responded to a query from ProgressVA, a liberal group, that they do not belong to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a conservative organization that has come under attack lately on the left... It churns out model legislation that's introduced in state capitals around the country by its legislative members, including some from Virginia."

Progressive Point: Putting Virginia's families first isn't a partisan priority--it's one that we all share. Since sharing our list of where our legislators stand yesterday, nine new Virginia lawmakers, from both sides of the aisle, have made the choice to stand with their constituents and not the corporate front group ALEC.

Virginia voters deserve a state legislature that works for them and legislators who are honest about their affiliations--however, many of our representatives are still hiding behind a wall of silence. The legislature must work for all of Virginia's families, not just donors with the deepest pockets. While many of our representatives are choosing to keep quiet because they want to hide their ALEC affiliations from Virginia voters, the rest need a reminder that corruption flourishes when good people remain silent.

Get the Facts:

• Recently, 16 corporations, 4 nonprofits, and over 50 legislators have eneded their support for ALEC folling increased scrutiny of the group. (The Washington Post, May 30, 2012)


• "At least 115 current or former legislators have had ties to ALEC, either by sponsoring bills, attending conferences or paying membership dues, according to a study by ProgressVA from last year. The state has spent $232,000 during the past decade to send legislators, primarily members of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, to ALEC conferences and meetings." (The Washington Post, May 30, 2012)


• ALEC has helped author more than 60 bills in Virginia, including legislation pushed by House Speaker Bill Howell--a former national chairman of ALEC. (The Washington Post, May 30, 2012)

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May 1, 2012

The Institute for Southern Studies reports, "After the massive TVA Kingston disaster inundated a Tennessee community and two rivers with a billion gallons of coal ash in 2008, it appeared the tide was turning for the largely unregulated toxic waste produced by burning coal for electricity. But for four years, the energy industry has successfully fought off federal regulations -- thanks in part to the American Legislative Exchange Council, which has close ties to energy companies with a financial interest in blocking strict oversight of coal ash."

Progressive Point: Putting profits above public safety is just plain wrong. But corporate front-group ALEC and their legislative allies have been working behind the scenes to kill environmental regulations designed to protect us from the life-threatening dangers of coal ash--all for the sake of protecting coal company profits.

Our elected officials cannot mistake our well-being for the well-being of coal companies. Our representatives need to put our health and safety above coal industry bottom lines.

Get the Facts:

• Coal ash is "waste that contains heavy metals and other health-damaging pollutants and has been linked to over 150 cases of environmental damages, most involving water contamination." (Institute for Southern Studies, April 30, 2012)


• American Electric Power, which has operations in Virginia, "is a member of ALEC's Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force and was a financial sponsor of ALEC's 2011 conference, according to ALEC Exposed." (Institute for Southern Studies, April 30, 2012)


• ALEC has spent over $70,000 feting Virginia legislators. (ProgressVA)


• Over 50 bills drawn from ALEC sources have been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly in the past few years. (ProgressVA)

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April 18, 2012

The Virginia Progressive Caucus held a news conference today "to highlight Virginia's involvement in ALEC and to call on the General Assembly to cease using taxpayer dollars to send legislators to future ALEC conferences. Delegate Patrick A. Hope, co-chair of the Virginia Progressive Caucus said, 'We are now learning that ALEC is a corporate-front group that is the ultimate "pay to play" organization. Those who can write the biggest check can get an audience of eager legislators willing to shop their corporate interest across the nation in the form of legislation.'"

Progressive Point: Virginia voters deserve a state legislature that works for them. It's simple: we voted for our representatives, not corporate-front groups like ALEC. Virginians and Americans across the country are making it clear--they want their legislators to cut ties with ALEC, and many companies that once backed ALEC have gotten the message. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Mars Inc., Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Intuit, McDonald's, Wendy's--the list goes on.

But today, many of our own legislators are showing just how out-of-touch they are with Virginia voters by choosing to keep their ties to ALEC. We don't want our tax dollars to pay for their junkets, we don't want our representative introducing their bills, and we don't want them putting the wants of the 1% and big corporations above the needs of Virginia families. It's simple: choose Virginia families, not corporate-front groups like ALEC.

Get the Facts: Via ProgressVA:

• Between 2001 and 2010, the Commonwealth of Virginia spent over $230,000 to send legislators to ALEC conferences in order to meet with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.


• ALEC has spent over $70,000 feting Virginia legislators.


• Over 50 bills drawn from ALEC sources have been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly in the past few years.


• At least 115 current or former Virginia legislators have ties to ALEC.


• Speaker William Howell is a member of ALEC's national leadership team. In 2009, he served as the group's national chairman. Howell's involvement with ALEC has transferred down to the state level: he has asked several of his colleagues to carry ALEC bills and approved the expenditure of taxpayer money to send his colleagues to ALEC conferences.

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For Immediate Release
April 17, 2012
Contact: Anna Scholl
(434) 218-2113
anna@progressva.org

ProgressVA Launches Campaign Calling On VA Legislators To Quit ALEC

10 companies have fled corporate front group while Virginia lawmakers remain silent

ProgressVA today launched a new campaign urging Virginia legislators to cut ties with the controversial corporate front group, American Legislative Exchange Council. Ten major companies have left the organization in recent days over the organization's push for Voter ID and "Stand Your Ground" legislation across the country.

Tom Perriello, former Virginia Congressman and current President of Center for American Progress Action, launched the campaign with a call to action to thousands of Virginians. "ALEC crafts bills that put their corporate funders ahead of consumers, assault public health and basic environmental protections, and systematically make it more difficult for Virginians to vote, reversing decades of progress since the Jim Crow era," said Perriello. "I encourage all Virginians to encourage their representatives to start prioritizing constituents over corporate donors."

A recent ProgressVA report detailed the full effect of ALEC--which allows large corporations to write big-business friendly bills and helps legislators advance this legislation on the state level--on Virginia's political system. At least 50 bills introduced in the General Assembly are directly traceable to ALEC and over $230,000 of taxpayer money has been spent sending legislators to ALEC junkets.

Center for American Progress Action recently released "Voter Suppression 101", a comprehensive report about ALEC and other groups' efforts to roll back progress on getting young people, communities of color and rural seniors to vote.

In recent days, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft, Intuit, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wendy's, Mars, Inc., Arizona Public Service, Reed Elsevier, and American Traffic Solutions have quit ALEC.

For more information:

• ALEC Exposed: Who is writing Virginia's laws? - www.progressva.org/alec
• PRESS RELEASE: Advocacy groups launch petition drive urging companies to quit ALEC

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ProgressVA is a multi-issue progressive advocacy organization dedicated to engaging citizens from across the Commonwealth around issues of immediate state or local concern. www.ProgressVA.org

April 13, 2012

Yesterday, there was some news coverage of an exchange of ideas between ProgressVA and Virginia's Speaker of the House. The [Rachel] Maddow Blog shared, "The point of contention seemed to be over the taxpayer money Virginia spent to send lawmakers to ALEC events. ProgressVA's report [link] claimed that the trips cost the state roughly $230,000 over the last decade, while in reality, the trips cost the state ... roughly $230,000 over the last decade. Howell pointed to this as an inaccuracy, even though it's true, because Virginia also sent state lawmakers to a different conference that cost even more... That questions about ALEC are making its allies this uncomfortable suggests a shifting landscape for the organization."

Progressive Point: Virginians are frustrated with the economy and they are frustrated with out-of-touch politicians who would rather listen to corporate-front groups like ALEC than their own voters. We want a government that works for all of Virginia's families, not just those with the deepest pockets. But today, conservatives in Richmond are working for the 1% and their big business donors--and when they don't like the facts they get defensive, dishonest, and disheveled.

Virginia's Speaker of the house may not want to let the facts get in the way of a good story, but Virginians deserve and demand representatives who are honest and straightforward. Even though ALEC is getting nervous over the recent loss of several of its major corporate backers, it doesn't mean they and their mouthpieces can spin the facts to suit them. Virginia's voters want just the facts.

Get the Facts: Via ProgressVA:

• Between 2001 and 2010, the Commonwealth of Virginia spent over $230,000 to send legislators to ALEC conferences in order to meet with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.


• ALEC has spent over $70,000 feting Virginia legislators.


• Over 50 bills drawn from ALEC sources have been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly in the past few years.


• At least 115 current or former Virginia legislators have ties to ALEC.


• Speaker William Howell is a member of ALEC's national leadership team. In 2009, he served as the group's national chairman. Howell's involvement with ALEC has transferred down to the state level: he has asked several of his colleagues to carry ALEC bills and approved the expenditure of taxpayer money to send his colleagues to ALEC conferences.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2012
Contact: Anna Scholl
(434) 218-2113
anna@progressva.org

Meanwhile, corporations flee organization designed to increase their bottom lines

Richmond, VA--Under fire for pushing national campaigns make it harder for millions of Americans to vote and institute "Kill at Will" laws like the one at the center of the Trayvon Martin shooting, multiple corporations have fled the American Legislative Exchange Council. Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Wendy's, McDonald's, Intuit, Kraft Foods and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation determined membership in the corporate front group and bill factory was no longer good for their bottom lines. That exodus did not stop Speaker William Howell, a member of ALEC's Board of Directors, from joining the organization this morning to tout a report marking Virginia's progress in instituting pro-corporate economic policies.

"It's not surprising that a corporate front group that has carelessly pushed legislation to make it harder for millions of Virginians to vote and establish "Kill at Will" laws across the country would completely disregard policies to secure the middle class," said Anna Scholl, Executive Director of ProgressVA. "These rankings are nothing more than a report card for ALEC's anti-middle class agenda. Now even corporate members are backing away from ALEC's agenda of low minimum wages, fewer high paying jobs and millionaires not paying their fair share. Its too bad Speaker Howell won't do the same."

Contrary to the criteria assembled for ALEC by infamous trickle-down economist Arthur Laffer, economists have noted that state policies like a fair minimum wage, progressive tax systems, and the right of private businesses to enter into a contract with their employees do not hinder, but rather help state economies become more prosperous for all.

ALEC's "Rich States, Poor States" report is riddled with inconsistencies and methodological errors. For example:

• ALEC lionizes Texas' economic policies, encouraging states to "be more like Texas." The report fails to note that from 2007-2011, 100% of Texas' job growth was in the public sector, with the private sector shrinking. This evidence contradicts ALEC's claim that Texas' economic policies are spurring private sector growth.
• ALEC's measures are contradictory. "Rich States, Poor States" celebrates Nevada's population growth and attributes it to a low income tax and right-to-work status. However, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, Nevada had the country's highest unemployment rate in 2011.
• In a massive methodological oversight, ALEC emphasizes population growth as an indication of economic success while failing to control for factors that affect migration patterns, including weather and cost of living, making any corollaries drawn between population growth and economic policies useless.
• "Rich States, Poor States" makes no effort to evaluate the quality of a state's public services. While good schools, adequate police protection, and an efficient transportation network are universally acknowledged as key factors in determining a desirable place to live, none of these items is considered to make a state more or less competitive according to ALEC.

A January report by ProgressVA revealed that over 50 bills drawn from ALEC sources have been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia taxpayers have spent over $230,000 to subsidize legislators' participation. Last week, ProgressVA called on Virginia ALEC members to join major corporations in quitting the organization. Virginia legislative ALEC members include:

• Speaker William Howell, Member, ALEC Board of Directors
• Senator Stephen Martin, State Co-Chairman
• Delegate John Cosgrove, State Co-Chairman
• Senator Tommy Norment, Member, ALEC Telecommunications and Technology Task Force
• Delegate Barbara Comstock, Alternate, ALEC Telecommunications and Technology Task Force
• Delegate David Albo, Member, ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force

For more information:

• ALEC Exposed: Who is writing Virginia's laws?
• PRESS RELEASE: Corporate sponsors quit ALEC; ProgressVA urges Virginia legislators to do the same
• PRESS RELEASE: Advocacy groups launch petition drive urging companies to quit ALEC

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ProgressVA is a progressive, multi-issue advocacy organization that seeks to engage citizens from across the Commonwealth around issues of immediate state or local concern. www.ProgressVA.org

April 10, 2012

Pepsi-Co, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Intuit, and the Gates Foundation, major sponsors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), have indicated they will not renew their memberships to the controversial conservative organization amid mounting criticism over ALEC's backing of 'Stand Your Ground' gun laws, which have been implicated in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. ProgressVA is urging Virginia legislators to terminate their ALEC memberships as well.

Progressive Point: Our legislators were elected to represent us, not corporate bottom lines. A secretive, corporate front group's fingerprints are all over recent attacks on Virginia families: restricting voting rights, privatizing public schools, and loosening public safety provisions. Even the "Kill at Will" law at the center of the Trayvon Martin shooting has been backed by ALEC.

ALEC's special interest bills put corporate profits above the needs of Virginia families. Now, in the face of public backlash, even major corporations are quitting ALEC. Our elected officials should follow suit. It's clear that if our lawmakers are patroning ALEC's laws, they're not working for us.

Get the Facts: Via ProgressVA:

• At least 50 bills introduced in the Virginia General Assembly were drawn from ALEC model legislation.


• Over $230,000 in taxpayer money has been spent sending legislators on junkets to ALEC conferences to meet with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors.


• Over 100 current and former Virginia legislators have ties to ALEC, including Speaker of the House of Delegates William Howell, Governor Bob McDonnell, and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

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April 9, 2012

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Six more virtual school providers have been approved by the Virginia Department of Education to contract with public school divisions. They join the 13 multi-division online providers approved in June."

Progressive Point: Ensuring our kids receive a quality education is an investment in Virginia's economic future. But now Bob McDonnell wants to hand that responsibility off to companies looking to make a buck off our children. New legislation requires Virginia high school students to complete at least one virtual course in order to graduate, despite evidence that students in virtual classrooms don't perform as well as students in public schools. Companies behind the push to profit off of kids, like K12 Inc., contribute thousands to Bob McDonnell and rely on corporate front groups like ALEC to push legislation written on their behalf.

Helping our children succeed in a 21st century economy should be the driving force behind public education decisions, not helping a few campaign donors make a buck. Our children deserve access to a quality education that puts their needs first.

Get the Facts:

• In 2010, the 5,000 students at the Colorado Virtual Academy had an on-time graduation rate off just 12% - compared to the 72% rate of all students statewide. Also in 2010, K12's Ohio Virtual Academy 9,000 students "had a 30 percent on-time graduation rate, compared with a state average of 78 percent. Last year, about one-third of K12-managed schools met the achievement goals required under the federal No Child Left Behind law, according to Gary Miron, a Western Michigan University professor who called that performance 'poor.'" (Washington Post, November 26, 2011)


• Virtual schools have higher student to teacher ratios than in-person classrooms at roughly 60 students for every online teacher. (Washington Post, November 26, 2011)


• In 2010, legislation to establish virtual school programs was introduced on behalf of Gov. McDonnell in both the House and Senate and subsequently became law. The legislation, a version of which as been pushed by ALEC's education committee, encourages school divisions to contract with private virtual school companies for student instruction. (ProgressVA)


• Bob McDonnell has received $55,000 from K12 Inc. and its executives since 2009. (Washington PostNovember 26, 2011)


• McDonnell signed into law a bill to "require Virginia high school students to take at least one virtual course to graduate with a standard or advanced diploma." (Washington Post, April 6, 2012)

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