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ALEC News

h3>ALEC in Colorado Uncovering the Influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council in the Colorado Legislature. ALEC hides the identities of its legislative members but claims that nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 7,300 state legislators are involved in the organization. Nearly all of ALEC’s known legislative members are Republicans. Bill Cadman, the former president of Colorado Senate, was an ALEC member during his time in the legislature, serving as ALEC’s state chair and on its national board. ALEC’s current Colorado state chairs are Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-2nd District, and Rep. Lori Saine, R-63rd District. ALEC state chairs are the organization’s main representatives in the states, often charged with raising money for ALEC and the "scholarships" it uses to pay travel expenses for legislative members to attend ALEC conferences. The chairs also lead colleagues in introducing and pushing ALEC legislation and communicating ALEC’s goals in the state. ALEC also has influence in Colorado’s congressional delegation; U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, and Reps. Scott Tipton (R-3rd District), and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R- 5th District) are all alumni of ALEC. Read the rest of this item here. Trump Team, ALEC, Koch Industries Debate Gerrymandering the U.S. Senate in Denver Now that GOP state legislators have control over 32 state legislatures (both chambers), thanks in large part to partisan gerrymandering, some extremists are preparing to use their clout to gerrymander the U.S. Senate. This week in Denver, July 19-21, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will welcome Republican state legislators and its corporate funders, including Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, K12 Inc., Peabody Energy, and PhRMA, to vote on corporate legislative priorities and create cookie cutter "model" bills in task force meetings that are still closed to the press. Read the rest of this item here. Reagan vs. Cities: The Battle Over South African Apartheid and Lessons for the Trump Era With the Trump administration threatening to withhold federal funds from cities and states offering protections to undocumented immigrants, a new report details similar tactics used by the Reagan administration to pressure cities and states to abandon anti-apartheid sanctions and divestment legislation. The report "Reagan vs. Cities: The 20th Century Battle Over South African Apartheid & Lessons For The Trump Era" provides historical examples of how cities and states can wield power in the face of threats of retaliation for local policies that defy a president's political agenda. Read the rest of this item here.