Corporations

Resources for Investigating ALEC/NRA Gun Bills

by Lisa Graves — March 30, 2012 - 10:00am

The "Stand Your Ground" or "Shoot First" law that may protect the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February is the template for an American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) "model bill" that has been pushed in dozens of other states. The bill was brought to ALEC by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and was unanimously approved by an ALEC task force co-chaired by Wal-Mart and stocked by other special interests. Additionally, the corporate board members of ALEC, like AT&T, Koch Industries, and Kraft Foods, help facilitate the spread of these laws by financially underwriting its operations. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has compiled this list of resources to help reporters and other citizens expose ALEC and its agenda, as well as the long and close relationship between ALEC and the NRA.

News

Republican Presidential Primary Swings Into Land of Recall

by Jonathan Rosenblum — March 30, 2012 - 8:21am

Topics: Right Wing, Corporations, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

What does Wisconsin get when it crosses the recall of Governor Scott Walker with a Republican presidential primary? The serious answer: a massive infusion of Super PAC and other outside money into the state.

Most of the state has been focused on Walker's campaign to hold onto his job for the past several months, but in advance of Wisconsin’s April 5 presidential primary, Romney, Santorum, Paul and Gingrich are competing for a little bit of attention -- and for Wisconsin's 42 delegates.

News

Groups Attempt to Deliver Letter to ALEC re: ALEC/NRA "Kill at Will" Law

by PRW Staff — March 29, 2012 - 2:59pm

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Race / Ethnic Issues, Social Justice

On March 29, a diverse coalition of advocacy organizations, activists, and national leaders protested the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) paid promotion of deadly "Kill at Will" legislation written by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The attendees delivered a letter to ALEC headquarters at 1100 Vermont Ave, NW in Washington demanding that the group disclose all NRA funding and publicly pledge to end its promotion of "Kill at Will" bills.

Organizing sponsors include the National Urban League, NAACP, ColorOfChange, Moveon.org, AFL-CIO, SEIU, ProgressNow, Center for Media and Democracy/ALECexposed.org, Presente, Public Campaign, Common Cause, People For the American Way, UltraViolet, Faith in Public Life, National Council of Churches, USAction, and more.

News

Rally for Trayvon Martin in Front of ALEC Headquarters

by PRW Staff — March 28, 2012 - 11:34am

Topics: Activism, ALEC Exposed, Corporations

MEDIA ADVISORY, March 28, 2012

CONTACT: Tim Rusch, 917.399.0236, Tim@fitzgibbonmedia.com, Naomi Seligman, 310.617.4577, Naomi@FitzGibbonMedia.com

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Rally Against ALEC "KILL AT WILL" Laws that are Protecting Trayvon's Shooter

Prominent National Organizations Urge ALEC to Disavow Lethal Law after Murder of Florida Teen -- Will Deliver Demand Letter to DC Headquarters

WASHINGTON, DC -- On March 29, a diverse coalition of advocacy organizations, activists, and national leaders will protest the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) paid promotion of deadly "Kill at Will" legislation written by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The attendees will also deliver a letter to ALEC headquarters at 1100 Vermont Ave, NW in Washington demanding that the group disclose all NRA funding and publicly pledge to end its promotion of "Kill at Will" bills.

Guest Contributor

Only People Can Vote—Only People Should Finance Campaigns, within Limits

by PRW Staff — March 28, 2012 - 9:47am

Topics: Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics

-- By Greg Colvin, originally published on OurFuture.org

Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case two years ago, saying that the Constitution gives corporations the right to spend without limit to influence American elections, people have been asking "how can we amend the Constitution to put this right?"

News

Groups Write to ALEC's Corporate Board Regarding Trayvon Martin

by Sara Jerving — March 26, 2012 - 2:13pm

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) joined with United Republic, Rebuild the Dream and ColorofChange.org in a letter to the 20 members of the "Private Enterprise Board" of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The letter asks the corporations to sever ties with ALEC and end their financial support of the organization. The request is made out of respect for Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year old who was shot and killed in Florida last month. Trayvon's killer could be protected from justice under a Florida "Stand Your Ground" law that became a template for an ALEC model bill introduced and adopted in over 20 states.

Press Release

CMD Asks Wisconsin Ethics Board to Examine Corporate-Funded Gifts to ALEC Legislators

by PRW Staff — March 23, 2012 - 2:56pm

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Brendan Fischer, (608) 260-9713, brendan@prwatch.org

MADISON --The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) filed a complaint today with the Government Accountability Board (GAB) based on newly discovered documents revealing that numerous Wisconsin legislators have received corporate-funded gifts through their connections to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Although ALEC describes itself as the largest membership group for legislators, over 98% of its $7 million budget is from corporations and sources other than legislative dues. Documents obtained via Wisconsin open records law and other sources show that ALEC corporations are funding lawmakers' out-of-state travel expenses to posh resorts for ALEC meetings with corporate lobbyists, in addition to gifts of entertainment and exclusive parties.

Guest Contributor

Cantor Quietly Acknowledges Failing to Report ALEC Gift

by PRW Staff — March 23, 2012 - 10:05am

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Ethics

--by Nick Surgey of Common Cause; originally posted on CommonBlog.

In February, Common Cause wrote to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, asking for an explanation about an apparently unreported $1,350 gift from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in 2009. Cantor's office immediately responded, claiming our inquiry was without foundation, but last week his office quietly amended his financial disclosures to include the gift from ALEC.

At that time, I wrote about Cantor's failure to disclose:

ALEC, the so-called "free market, small government" lobby group underwritten by some of the nation's largest corporations, reported in its tax filings for 2008 and 2009, making "cash grants" to the recipients of several annual awards. Common Cause has identified 22 legislators who received ALEC awards in those two years, including Rep. Cantor, who ALEC records indicate received $1,350 in 2009 as part of their Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award.

News

Why Are State Newspapers Silent When It Comes to ALEC Ties to Voter ID?

by Sara Jerving — March 22, 2012 - 10:35am

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

The links between the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and "voter ID" legislation have been well-documented, but newspapers in the states impacted most severely by the voter suppression legislation have been largely silent on this connection. A new analysis by Media Matters finds that "the largest newspapers in the seven states that enacted voter ID laws in 2011 have largely ignored ALEC's influence." ALEC is a group that brings together right-wing state legislators and corporations to vote on cookie-cutter "model" bills behind closed doors. The bills largely benefit corporations and Republican political interests.

News

ALEC Ratified the NRA-Conceived Law That May Protect Trayvon Martin's Killer

by Brendan Fischer — March 21, 2012 - 4:00pm

Topics: ALEC Exposed, Election 2012, Corporations, Democracy, Politics, Race / Ethnic Issues

A Florida law that may protect the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February is the template for an American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) "model bill" that has been pushed in other states. The bill was brought to ALEC by the National Rifle Association (NRA), and fits into a pattern of ALEC bills that disproportionately impact communities of color.

Florida's "stand your ground," or "castle doctrine," law could prevent the prosecution of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old "neighborhood watch" vigilante who shot the unarmed Martin as the teen returned from a trip to 7-11 with an iced tea and a pack of Skittles. The law, also pushed by its supporters under the name the "Castle Doctrine," changes state criminal justice and civil law codes by giving legal immunity to a person who uses "deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony." It also bars the deceased's family from bringing a civil suit.