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Revision as of 20:00, 28 July 2017

ALEC News

The ALEC Swampland

Though ALEC has an uneasy relationship with President Trump, they haven't hesitated in adopting his '"drain the swamp" rhetoric when extolling their plans to amend the federal constitution, repeal workers' rights or gut social safety net programs. Trump keeps filling his "swamp" with cronies, political insiders and the corporate lobbyists that also populate the ALEC swamp.

One of these lobbyists, working for the behemoth Chinese online retailer Alibaba, asked me to communicate information about his company to my (presumably male) boss. When I replied that I am a legislator, he looked me up and down incredulously until I replied "They let women be legislators now." He didn't speak to me again. Read the rest of this item here.

Betsy DeVos and Issue of College Rape at ALEC in Denver

Secretary Betsy DeVos headlined the 44^th American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting being held at the Colorado Convention Center's Hyatt Regency Hotel July 19-21.

Other big names speaking at the event included Trump defender-in-chief Newt Gingrich, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Republican pollster Frank Luntz, and local mega-donor and light beer magnate Peter Coors, who chairs the right-wing Coors Foundation.

Read the rest of this item here.

Big Coal Burns Bright at ALEC Conference

The best part of my 9^th American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) conference so far was trying to get into the host hotel in Denver.

When I pulled up in my cab, it was surrounded by hundreds of protestors marching on the sidewalk and shouting some of my favorite chants. Any possible entrance into the hotel was blocked by yellow police tape or a barricade. So I marched with them for a bit, pulling my suitcase behind me, and then ducked under the tape to get into the hotel.

Now that's the way to start an ALEC conference. Read the rest of this item here.

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-<h3>[http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/alec-in-denver-report.pdf ALEC in Colorado]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/23/the-alec-swampland/ The ALEC Swampland]</h3>
-[[Image:ALEC-CO-Common-Cause.jpg|270 px|center]]On the eve of ALEC's annual meeting in Denver, Colorado Common Cause and the Common Cause Education Fund released a [http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/alec-in-denver-report.pdf new report] uncovering the recent influence of the secretive special interest lobbying group in the Colorado legislature. ALEC is a national secretive lobbying group that is holding its annual meeting in Denver from July 19th-21st. ALEC is known for bringing state lawmakers and corporate lobbyists together in secret to draft and approve "model" bills on different issues, often benefiting its corporate donors' bottom line.
+[[Image:Trump-as-Washington-constitution-270px.jpg|270 px|center]]Though ALEC has an uneasy relationship with President Trump, they haven't hesitated in adopting his '"drain the swamp" rhetoric when extolling their plans to amend the federal constitution, repeal workers' rights or gut social safety net programs.  Trump keeps filling his "swamp" with cronies, political insiders and the corporate lobbyists that also populate the ALEC swamp.
-The report reveals the members of the Colorado legislature that have ties to ALEC and which recent Colorado state bills can be traced back to the organization. Additionally, the report highlights ALEC's corporate members and uncovers money given to the organization from both the Coors family and Koch brothers. The report also documents how ALEC abuses its public charity status with the IRS, effectively making its corporate donors eligible for a tax deduction for its funding of ALEC.
+One of these lobbyists, working for the behemoth Chinese online retailer Alibaba, asked me to communicate information about his company to my (presumably male) boss.  When I replied that I am a legislator, he looked me up and down incredulously until I replied "They let women be legislators now." He didn't speak to me again. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/23/the-alec-swampland/ here].
+----
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/18/ALEC-2017-devos-college-sexual-assault Betsy DeVos and Issue of College Rape at ALEC in Denver]</h3>
+[[Image:DeVos-CPAC2017-CCBYSA2.0-GageSkidmore-270px.jpg|270 px|center|<center><small>Image:CC BY-SA 2.0 Gage Skidmore</small></center>]]Secretary Betsy DeVos headlined the 44<sup>th</sup> American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting being held at the Colorado Convention Center's Hyatt Regency Hotel July 19-21.
-"ALEC's secretive corporate lobbying flies in the face of how democracy is supposed to work," said Elena Nunez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. "Voters may not know who ALEC is, but they have been very influential in Colorado." Read the report [http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/alec-in-denver-report.pdf here].
+Other big names speaking at the event included Trump defender-in-chief Newt Gingrich, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Republican pollster Frank Luntz, and local mega-donor and light beer magnate Peter Coors, who chairs the right-wing [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Adolph_Coors_Foundation Coors Foundation].
+Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/18/ALEC-2017-devos-college-sexual-assault here].
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-<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/17/trump-alec-debate-gerrymandering-senate-denver/ Trump Team, ALEC, Koch Industries Debate Gerrymandering the U.S. Senate in Denver]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/20/big-coal-burns-bright-alec-conference/ Big Coal Burns Bright at ALEC Conference]</h3>
-[[Image:TornUSconstitution-270px.jpg|270 px|center]]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.
+[[Image:Dirty_Power-coal-smoke-stack-270px.jpg|270 px|center]]The best part of my 9<sup>th</sup> [http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed American Legislative Exchange Council] (ALEC) conference so far was trying to get into the host hotel in Denver.
-This week in Denver, July 19-21, the [http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed 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 [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/17/trump-alec-debate-gerrymandering-senate-denver/ here].
+When I pulled up in my cab, it was surrounded by hundreds of protestors marching on the sidewalk and shouting some of my favorite chants.  Any possible entrance into the hotel was blocked by yellow police tape or a barricade.  So I marched with them for a bit, pulling my suitcase behind me, and then ducked under the tape to get into the hotel.
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-<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/06/28/reagan-vs-cities-battle-south-african-apartheid-lessons-trump-era/ Reagan vs. Cities: The Battle Over South African Apartheid and Lessons for the Trump Era]</h3>
-[[Image:Reagan-Trump-270px.jpg|270 px|center]]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 [http://jobstomoveamerica.org/research/reagan-vs-cities-20th-century-battle-south-african-apartheid-lessons-trump-era/ "Reagan vs. Cities: The 20th Century Battle Over South African Apartheid &amp; 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 [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/06/28/reagan-vs-cities-battle-south-african-apartheid-lessons-trump-era/ here].
+Now that's the way to start an ALEC conference. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/20/big-coal-burns-bright-alec-conference/ here].
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