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Bank of America Cuts Ties to ALEC

by Rebekah Wilce — November 29, 2012 - 11:28am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Politics

    • Bank of America (BofA), one of the largest banks in the United States with a major role in the financial crisis, is cutting ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). A company spokesperson informed Timothy Smith, Senior Vice President of Walden Asset Management, by phone that Bank of America is not renewing its membership in ALEC for 2013 "due to budget constraints." BofA did not return the Center for Media and Democracy's (CMD's) calls to independently verify this information.

    News

    After a Controversial Year, ALEC Convenes in Washington with Damage Control at Top of Agenda

    by Brendan Fischer — November 29, 2012 - 10:00am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Lobbying, Politics

    • At the end of a tumultuous year that has seen the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) come under unprecedented scrutiny for its role in advancing a slate of right-wing legislation, the corporate-friendly organization of state lawmakers and special interest lobbyists convenes this week in Washington, DC to try and salvage its viability.

    News

    New Study Reveals Widespread and Copious Use of Toxic Flame Retardants

    by Rebekah Wilce — November 29, 2012 - 8:32am
  • Topics: Environment, Health

    • A study published this week in the Environmental Science & Technology journal, "Novel and High Volume Use Flame Retardants in US Couches Reflective of the 2005 PentaBDE Phase Out," reveals that 85% of couches purchased in the United States between 1985 and 2010 contain chemical flame retardants. The most prevalent include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), tris (1-3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP), and the newer Firemaster 550 (FM 550) mixture, as well as tris (4-butylphenyl) phosphate (TBPP), which according to the study has not been reported to be used as a flame retardant until now.

    News

    Taxpayer-Enriched Companies Back Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, its Buddy ALEC, and Their "Reforms"

    by Lisa Graves — November 28, 2012 - 5:04pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Right Wing, Front Groups, Third Party Technique, Children, Corporations, Democracy, Education, Lobbying, Think Tanks

    • This week in Washington, DC, Jeb Bush's "Foundation for Excellence in Education" (FEE) is meeting just five blocks away from the post-election conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the controversial corporate bill mill working on profitizing public education among other legislative changes, but the ties between the two groups are even closer.

    News

    Fox News Skewered by Guest for "Operating as a Wing of the Republican Party"

    by Harriet Rowan — November 28, 2012 - 1:10pm
  • Topics: Right Wing, Media, Propaganda

    • Fox News was publicly skewered and filleted this week by one of their own guests, Thomas E. Ricks, an expert on military and defense policy and a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter. His interview was abruptly and unceremoniously ended after he calmly tagged Fox as "a wing of the Republican Party."

    Press Release

    Wisconsin Legislators Jetting Off on Corporate-Funded Trip to Develop Special Interest Legislation

    by PRW Staff — November 28, 2012 - 12:22pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Ethics, Politics, Secrecy

    • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2012
    CONTACT: Brendan Fischer

    MADISON, WI -- Several Wisconsin legislators are attending this week's conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) at the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C., and likely doing so on corporate-funded "scholarships," which the Center for Media and Democracy believes violate state ethics and lobbying laws. The three-day meeting, held November 28-30, will bring state legislators together with corporate lobbyists and special interests to craft "model" bills -- many of which will likely be introduced in the ALEC-majority Wisconsin legislature in the session that begins in January.

    Op-Ed

    The Devolution of American Media: In Madison Take-No-Prisoners Politics Gives Way to “Power Shopping”

    by Mary Bottari — November 28, 2012 - 9:25am
  • Topics: Media

    • As a news hound and a mom, I have an early morning routine for catching up on developments while getting the kid ready for school. I head downstairs, snap on the radio, start making coffee, and packing a kid-friendly lunch. The kitchen radio is permanently tuned to 1670 AM WTDY's "Sly in the Morning" show because I know that Sly has been up since 4 a.m. reading half a dozen state and national newspapers, scanning the front pages and the classifieds for the critical, the controversial, the funny, and the obscure.

    News

    ALEC's Economic Policies Do More Harm Than Good, New Report Shows

    by Rebekah Wilce — November 28, 2012 - 8:51am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Economy, Politics

    • Corporate lobbyists and right-wing legislators of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will be gathering in Washington, DC today for ALEC's annual States and Nation Policy Summit. Today also marks the release of an in-depth report on the failure of ALEC's economic recommendations for the states. The report claims that "states that were rated higher on ALEC's Economic Outlook Ranking in 2007," the first year the ranking was published, "have actually been doing worse economically in the years since, while the less a state conformed with ALEC policies the better off it was."

    Press Release

    Watchdogs Shed More Light on ALEC on Eve of Group’s DC Summit

    by PRW Staff — November 27, 2012 - 2:43pm

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 27, 2012
    CONTACT: Sara Jerving, Center for Media and Democracy, (608) 260-9713; Mary Boyle, Common Cause, (202) 736-5770

    The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) convenes its annual policy summit this Wednesday in Washington, DC. The three day meeting at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel caps a year of intense controversy surrounding the organization's political agenda and tax-exempt status. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and Common Cause have obtained new documents and produced reports that shed more light on the inner workings of ALEC and offer you valuable resources as you prepare for coverage of the ALEC conference.

    News

    ALEC and Heartland Aim to Crush Renewable Energy Standards in the States

    by Sara Jerving — November 27, 2012 - 10:28am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Energy, Environment

    • An effort to stomp out state renewable energy mandates across the country has roots in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). As reported by The Washington Post, the Heartland Institute wrote the bill, had it passed through ALEC, and is now targeting the 29 states and the District of Columbia, which have passed renewable energy requirements in some form.

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