Template:ALEC News

ALEC News

ExxonMobil Top Sponsor at ALEC Annual Meeting ExxonMobil, facing multiple state investigations connected to its funding of climate change denial, is listed as a top corporate sponsor of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) annual meeting, taking place this week in Indianapolis, Indiana. ALEC has long promoted climate change denial to state legislators, and promotes a legislative agenda of "model" bills designed to protect the interests of its oil, gas and coal funders. The ALEC meeting agenda includes discussion of a new "model" bill, designed to block implementation of the Obama administration Clean Power Plan aimed at reducing carbon pollution. Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, Mike Pence is due to speak at the ALEC event on Friday. Read the rest of this item here. Black Lives, Blue Lives, and the Fight Over Criminal Justice in America Tamir Rice PHILADELPHIA--Two people from Milwaukee took to the national stage at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to present two very different perspectives on one of the most divisive issues of our time, the shootings of unarmed African Americans by police and civilians. The conventions took place against a backdrop of traumatic news stories. The shooting death of Philando Castile and its dramatic aftermath, live-streamed on Facebook by his girlfriend, sparked national protests. At one protest in Dallas, Texas, five police officers were shot and killed by an African American military veteran who had served in Afghanistan. This was followed by the shootings of police in Baton Rouge. The very next week, Charles Kinsey, an African American caregiver for an autistic adult, was shot by police while he was on the ground with his arms raised. Read the rest of this item here. ALEC 2016 Agenda Boosts Charters, Coal, and Other Corporate Funders Indiana Governor Mike Pence Image: Gage Skidmore CC BY SA 2.0 The American Legislative Exchange Council will push bills to protect failing charter schools, silence political speech, and obstruct environmental protections in the ALEC 2016 agenda introduced at its annual meeting in Indianapolis this week. ALEC faces renewed public attention as it gears up for the annual meeting, where corporate lobbyists sit side-by-side with state legislators in luxury hotels to vote as equals on "model bills" that then get pushed to become law in states across the country. As the Center for Media and Democracy has reported, Donald Trump chose an ALEC ally, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, as his running mate, while his party’s 2016 platform was clearly stamped in the Koch-fueled ALEC mold. Read the rest of this item here.