New Report: ALEC Exposed in Iowa

Des Moines -- Today a group of open government advocates released a new report called "ALEC Exposed in Iowa: How Corporate Influence Subverts Our Democratic Process" [5] that details the American Legislative Exchange Council's influence on Iowa lawmakers and the legislative process in the state.

The report [5] was released in the State Capitol today by Progress Iowa, Common Cause, People for the American Way, ProgressNow, and the Center for Media and Democracy's ALEC Exposed [6] project.

Key findings include:

The secretive nature of ALEC's taxpayer-funded membership in Iowa due to a lack of transparency in the Iowa legislature -- including the fact that many legislators may be members without their knowledge;
A detailed listing of the more than $500,000 in campaign donations from ALEC corporate funders to ALEC members in Iowa, including more than $200,000 to Governor Terry Branstad, a founding member of ALEC;
Examples of ALEC 'model' bills, written side by side with corporate interests, then introduced by Iowa legislators;
Recommended actions to be taken by citizens, reporters, and legislators to further expose ALEC's influence in Iowa.

The ALEC Exposed in Iowa report [5] is the newest addition to a growing number of state reports detailing ALEC's influence on state law.