The Supreme Court is poised to decide is Harris v. Quinn, “the most important labor law case the court has considered in decades.”
ALEC
Revealed: ALEC’s 2014 Attacks on the Environment
An internal tracking document — obtained from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by the Center for Media and Democracy under Texas public records law — reveals the scope of ALEC’s anti-environmental efforts in 2014.
Documents from Open Records Lawsuit Further Undermine Claims that ALEC Is Legislator-Driven
Newly-released ALEC documents obtained as part of CMD”s open records litigation provide more evidence that lobbyists and special interests are calling the shots within ALEC, undermining that group’s latest PR spin that it is a “legislator-driven” organization.
Oil Industry Conjures Illusion of Public Support for KXL Using ALEC Politicians
Millions of U.S. citizens have voiced their opposition to the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline in recent months, with more than 2 million public comments opposing the project hand delivered to the State Department last week. At the same time, hundreds of state legislators have been lining up in favor of KXL, seemingly just as passionate and as heartfelt as those opposed to the project. But many legislators have been tasked with promoting the project by oil industry lobbyists who provide them with model bills, talking points and draft op-eds.
Peabody Energy Lobbyist Schools Legislators on Getting More ALEC Travel Perks
An internal ALEC document provided to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), shows that a Peabody Energy lobbyist provided ALEC legislators with a presentation on how to get more cash from corporations like Peabody to attend ALEC conferences. Peabody, a long time member of ALEC, is a frequent presenter at ALEC events and sponsor of several items of ALEC “model” legislation in recent years.
Do ALEC Denials of Bill Tracking Signal an IRS Examination?
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which has secretly lobbied for the adoption of its corporate-backed bills and tracked them for years, is likely anticipating or actually under an IRS examination, says a former head of the IRS Exempt Organizations division, Marcus Owens. He makes this observation in light of recent claims by ALEC staff that it does not track where its bills are introduced or passed, despite extensive evidence that it has done so for years and bragged about doing so.
The State Policy Network’s Cozy Relationship with Big Tobacco
The State Policy Network (SPN), a web of right-wing “think tanks” in every state across the country, has close ties with the tobacco industry. When tobacco companies like Reynolds American or Altria/Philip Morris want to avoid tobacco taxes and health regulations, reports by SPN groups in many states can help inspire local resistance.
Did ALEC Found SPN? 1991 Report Suggests So, Exposes SPN Agenda
The Madison Group, the predecessor to the State Policy Network (SPN) — which was exposed recently in a Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) report, followed by the release of funding proposals detailing its coordination by The Guardian — was “launched by the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC . . . and housed in […]
Guardian Documents Expose State Policy Network Groups’ Intent to Lobby
The Guardian published a set of coordinated fundraising proposals from State Policy Network (SPN) members today that confirm many of these groups’ intent to change state laws and policies, referring to “advancing model legislation” and “candidate briefings.” These activities “arguably cross the line into lobbying,” The Guardian notes. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) highlighted these questionable political activities in its recent report, “EXPOSED: The State Policy Network: The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government,” as well as in a recent follow-up article.
State Policy Network: The Stealth Network Dramatically Influencing State Law
The State Policy Network (SPN), a web of pressure groups in all 50 states that call themselves “think tanks” while dramatically influencing state law, is a powerful and stealthy ally of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), as the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) detailed in the recent report, “EXPOSED: The State Policy Network: The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government.”