ALEC Exposed

Through ALEC, Global Corporations Are Scheming to Rewrite YOUR Rights to Boost THEIR Revenue$ Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians VOTE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS to change laws in YOUR state that govern YOUR Rights. These so-called "model bills" are drafted at ALEC conventions with input from, and approval by, Big Business, then introduced in state legislatures to erode the rights of working Americans in almost every area of law. These bills thwart reasonable regulation of corporate activities that affect our health, our economy, our environment, our democracy, and our liberty. Politicians are elected to represent the people, not corporations; through ALEC, corporations have both a VOICE and a VOTE on bills introduced in YOUR state. Do you?

SEE ALL of the "Model Bills" HERE Click here for part one of the bills exposed. Click here for part two of the bills exposed. Click here for part three of the bills exposed. Click here for part four of the bills exposed. Click here for part five of the bills exposed. Click here for part six of the bills exposed. Click here for part seven of the bills exposed. Click here for part eight of the bills exposed. To read the list of individual bills before opening them, you can do so by navigating to the specific subject areas on the left.

How YOU Can Expose ALEC & Share What You Learn SPREAD THE WORD. Share this information through FACEBOOK, EMAIL, AND TWITTER. Concerned groups and people in every state need this to investigate how ALEC corporations are rewriting laws for their own advantage. EXPOSE ALEC LEGISLATORS. Demand the truth about which politicians in your state are in ALEC. Uncover whether YOUR tax dollars are paying ALEC "dues." Expose politicians who accept “scholarships” from ALEC's corporate-funded coffers for fancy trips. EXPOSE ALEC'S ROLE IN YOUR STATE HOUSE. Read these corporate-backed "model bills" NOW and cross-check them with bills in your state legislature. Ask your local media to report on what you have found and write your local newspaper. SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES. Tell us what about what you uncovered! Tweet what you learn with the hashtag #ALECExposed or join the "Community Discussion" or email a confidential tip via tipline AT ALECexposed.org. Act today to help your family, friends, and fellow Americans better understand how global corporations are trying to rewrite your rights.

Join the Conversation!	Who Is Behind ALEC?	Get the Goods on ALEC's Agenda
No id supplied for Twitter account!	Corporations & politicians on ALEC's boards Who heads each ALEC "Task Force" Staff & "experts"	ALEC funding and spending (here) ALEC connections to David and Charles Koch, the oil billionaires (here) Proposals to change the rules for workers, including unions (here) Industry-specific agendas, like oil companies (here) and the health insurance industry (here)

Learn MORE about the "Model Bills" ALEC Corporations Are Backing to Rewrite YOUR Rights The Center for Media and Democracy has annotated the "model legislation" politicians and corporations voted on, and we will be adding our analysis below and to other publications, such as our sister sites, PRWatch and SourceWatch. How are Corporations Trying to Rewrite the Law? Corporations and their politician allies VOTED behind closed doors through ALEC to change YOUR laws in the following areas: Keeping workers from exercising their rights under law, draining labor unions of resources, rolling-back minimum wage laws and workplace safety regulations, and limiting union political influence. (visit the "Worker's and Consumer's Rights" section) Attacking consumer protection laws, encouraging the Banksters who crashed the economy, and supporting slumlords and predatory lenders. (visit the "Worker's and Consumer's Rights" section) Helping corporations escape responsibility for their wrongdoing and preventing Americans injured or killed by corporate conduct from receiving just compensation. (visit the "tort reform" section) Privatizing public education, crushing teacher's unions, and pushing American universities to the right, making education a commodity rather than a public good, and reversing America’s long history of promoting learning and civic virtue through public schools. (visit the "Education" section) Privatizing Medicare, deregulating health insurers, protecting negligent doctors, limiting Medical Assistance, and cutting holes in the safety net. (visit the "Health, Pharmaceuticals, and Social Welfare" section) Undermining federal environmental standards, eliminating the ability of local governments to manage land use and zoning, and giving corporate polluters free reign to contaminate air and water. (visit the "Environment" section) Disenfranchising Americans, changing campaign finance laws to give corporations greater ability to spend money influencing politics, and thwarting federal government mandates. (visit the "Democracy and Federal Relations" section) Creating Big Business tax giveaways, giving tax breaks to the rich, and eviscerating state legislatures' ability to raise revenue through tax increases. (visit the "Tax & Fiscal Policy" section) Other Helpful Resources Here are links to reports by reporters and advocates that have been challenging the ALEC corporate agenda: (CMD is not affiliated with these organizations. If you would like to be listed as a resource, contact us.) The American Legislative Exchange Council, on the Center for Media and Democracy's SourceWatch.org (wiki) and A CMD Special Report: Who Is the League of American Voters?, by the Center for Media and Democracy's PRWatch.org (March 2011) (PLACEHOLDER) Ghostwriting the Law for Corporate America, by the American Association for Justice (May 2010) Corporate America's Trojan Horse in the States: The Untold Story Behind the American Legislative Exchange Council, by the Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council (March 2002) ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests In State Legislatures, by People for the American Way (May 2011) Wisconsin's Cronon Affair: The Power of a Simple Fact, by The Nation (March 2011) Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, by Common Cause (August 2006) Conservative Corporate Advocacy Group ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts' by the Center for American Progress and Campus Progress (March 2011) Did You Know about these Bills? Some of this Corporate Agenda Has Already Become Law Controversial Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, an alum of ALEC, proposed changes to the law from the ALEC corporate wish list on tort reform as one of his first acts as governor in January 2011. PLACEHOLDER Limiting Damages for the Loss of Your Child, Spouse, or Parent One of the corporate-politician proposals of ALEC would limit the ability of a family to recover for emotional damages due to the death or injury of a loved one. (LINK) PLACEHOLDER Barring Corporate Liability for Killing Your Dog or Cat In addition to limiting the rights of people injured by corporations, under the guise of limiting "frivolous" litigation in 2006, one of the proposals would make it harder for you to obtain any compensation from a company whose negligence killed your family pet.(LINK) PLACEHOLDER ALEC Exposed is a project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). CMD does NOT accept donations from for-profit corporations or government agencies. More information about CMD is available here. You can reach the publisher of ALEC Exposed, CMD's Executive Director, Lisa Graves, via editor AT ALECexposed.org. Worker and Consumer Rights · Tort Reform and Injured Americans · Privatizing Schools and Higher Ed Policy · Health, Pharmaceuticals and Safety Net Programs · Environment, Energy and Agriculture · Democracy, Voter Rights and Federal Power · Taxes and Budgets · Guns, Prisons, Crime and Immigration