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CMD Special Report Series Dirty Hands: 77 ALEC Bills in 2013 Advance a Big Oil, Big Ag Agenda At least 77 bills to oppose renewable energy standards, support fracking and the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, and otherwise undermine environmental laws were introduced in 34 states in 2013, according to a new analysis from the Center for Media and Democracy, publishers of ALECexposed.org. In addition, nine states have been inspired by ALEC's "Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act" to crack down on videographers documenting abuses on factory farms. For decades, ALEC has been a favored conduit for some of the worlds largest polluters, like Koch Industries, BP, Shell, Chevron, and Exxon Mobil, and for decades has promoted less environmental regulation and more drilling and fracking. See the full report and chart of ALEC wage suppression bills here. Just How Low Can Your Salary Go?: 117 ALEC Bills in 2013 Fuel Race to the Bottom in Wages and Worker Rights At least 117 bills introduced in 2013 fuel a "race to the bottom" in wages, benefits, and worker rights and resemble "model" bills from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), according to a new analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), publishers of ALECexposed.org. See the full report and chart of ALEC wage suppression bills here. Cashing in on Kids: 139 ALEC Bills in 2013 Promote a Private, For-Profit Education Model Despite widespread public opposition to the education privatization agenda, at least 139 bills or state budget provisions reflecting American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) education bills have been introduced in 43 states and the District of Columbia in just the first six months of 2013. Thirty-one have become law. Read the full report here. Justice Denied: 71 ALEC Bills in 2013 Make It Harder to Hold Corporations Accountable for Causing Injury or Death CMD has identified at least 71 bills introduced in 2013 that make it harder for average Americans to access the civil justice system that resemble "models" from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Read the report here.

ALEC Open Records Lawsuit CMD Files Open Records Suit Against ALEC Board Member Sen. Leah Vukmir Wisconsin State Senator Leah Vukmir In June, the Center for Media and Democracy filed suit against Wisconsin State Senator Leah Vukmir, a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the treasurer of ALEC's national board, over her failure to disclose ALEC-related materials under Wisconsin's public records law -- possibly because ALEC told her to keep the documents secret. CMD has discovered that ALEC has started stamping its materials with a disclaimer asserting "[b]ecause this is an internal ALEC document, ALEC believes it is not subject to disclosure under any state Freedom of Information or Public Records Act." There is no provision in Wisconsin law allowing private organizations to declare themselves immune from the state's sunshine-in-government statutes. Read the full article here.