The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has been reporting on some of the bizarre choices for ALEC's "Legislator of the Week Award." In Indiana, Republican Rep. Woody Burton, the chair of the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Taskforce, who was named the ALEC/FreedomWorks "legislator of the week" in March had this to say when discussing LGBT rights at a town hall meeting:
"You can't control it sometimes. I understand that. If someone's a psychopathic killer, it's a behavior thing. They can't help it. OK? Somebody's a homosexual, maybe it's a genetic thing. Maybe it's not. They can't help it. But it's still a behavioral thing.”
A state bill that would ban cities and counties from requiring dark money groups to disclose their donors is moving rapidly through the Arizona state legislature. HB 2153 would make it illegal for localities to require tax exempt organizations to disclose donors and register as political action committees. The bill introduced by Rep. Vince Leach (R-11) was approved by the House and is waiting a final roll-call vote in the Senate.
Watch out public health advocates - as soda taxes are bubbling up in cities across the nation - the beverage industry is working to choke off this expression of local democracy.
Donors Trust is a little-known investment vehicle that allows right-wing millionaires, billionaires, and foundations to funnel millions of dollars to controversial causes anonymously. IRS filings submitted by Donors Trust and obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, show that the fund distributed $66.7 million in grants in 2016, the most recent year for which information is available.
