Posts Tagged ‘ALEC Iowa’
How Iowa Taxes Promote The Agenda Of Out-Of-State Corporations
Will Legislators Represent ALEC or Iowa?
As new and returning state legislators were sworn in today, Progress Iowa asked them to opt-out of joining the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC. In a letter sent to all Representatives and Senators, Progress Iowa offered congratulations on taking their oath, and explained how ALEC quietly interferes in state policy-making on behalf of corporate funders, and asked them to opt-out of joining the organization.
“Everyday Iowans don’t want to see their tax dollars promoting the agenda of out-of-state corporations,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “We want to know that the officials they elect will put Iowa values above those of special-interest lobbyists with a hidden agenda. That’s why our members are asking their state legislators to pledge to put their constituents first and opt-out of using taxpayer funds to join ALEC.”
Over the past few years, more light has been cast on the role ALEC has played in promoting controversial bills across the country. Legislation promoting voter suppression, “Stand Your Ground” laws, school privatization, and other ALEC proposals have been widely criticized in local and national media. As a result of ALEC’s new found infamy, 42 corporate funders, including McDonald’s, Kraft, and Coca-Cola withdrew their support. However, annual dues paid by Iowa legislators with taxpayer dollars continue to fund the organization’s lobbying efforts.
Within the letter, Progress Iowa asked legislators to answer a brief survey to confirm whether they would choose to reject membership in ALEC. Legislators who submit the confirmation will be invited to a brief press conference in the coming weeks to announce their choice and announce to their constituents that they’ve chosen to put Iowa values above those of ALEC.
Time For Iowa To Quit Giving Free Stuff To Corporate Lobbyists
Citizens for a Healthy Iowa and Progress Iowa launch SayNoToALEC.com, demand legislators end taxpayer-funded ALEC memberships
DES MOINES — Citizens for a Healthy Iowa and Progress Iowa launched SayNoToALEC.com, a petition demanding state legislators end their taxpayer-funded membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
“Iowans are good people and we have deep ties to our land,” said Mark Langgin, spokesman for Citizens for a Healthy Iowa. “Our rich agricultural history is at risk when shadowy, out of state groups like ALEC move into Iowa to fundamentally change the way we preserve our natural heritage. They want to sell our public lands to the highest bidder, rollback common sense protections for clean drinking water and other environmental regulations. Instead of pushing back against ALEC, Iowa legislators are sending them our tax dollars.”
“Our elected officials should represent us – not ALEC or any other out of state interest group,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “ALEC is corrupting our legislative process in Iowa to push their extreme agenda and buy our legislators. What’s even worse is that our tax dollars fund their special interest group. It’s time Iowans stop subsidizing these stealth lobbyists, and demand that our legislators represent us, not ALEC.”
In ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills.
In the Iowa House of Representatives, ALEC members use taxpayer money to pay their dues to this shadowy special interest group that wants to:
• Sell public lands so big corporations can drill for oil & gas
• Rollback common sense regulations that protect our water & air
• Pollute our air & water while leaving taxpayers with the bill
• Let corporations off the hook for exposing children to toxic chemicals.
For more information about ALEC, their agenda, and to sign the petition, visit www.saynotoalec.com
Matt Sinovic
More info.
Iowa’s Voter Id Bill can be found here: http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&ga=84&hbill=HF95
ALEC Exposed: http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
ALEC Voter ID Act Template: http://alecexposed.org/w/images/d/d9/7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed.pdf
American Legislative Exchange Council: http://www.alec.org/
Previously on Blog for Iowa
All House Democrats have resigned membership in ALEC.
blogforiowa.com/2011/10/20/the-corporate-bill-mill-which-iowa-legislators-have-alec-ties/
blogforiowa.com/2011/08/04/iowa-legislators-should-terminate-alec-memberships/
blogforiowa.com/2012/02/02/voter-id-law-will-make-it-harder-for-students-to-vote/
blogforiowa.com/2012/01/21/time-to-inform-ourselves-on-alec/
And directly from the ALEC.org page:
Terry Branstad, founding member of ALEC
Why Are Corporate Members Of ALEC Writing Iowa’s Laws?
Lisa Graves, Exec. Director, Center for Media and Democracy, speaks to a group in Cedar Rapids
Iowa Move To Amend along with Blog for Iowa, Progress Iowa, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility and others co-sponsored an appearance by Lisa Graves in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, July 15th at the Electrical Union Hall 1211 Wiley Blvd. [Video will be available soon at neighborhoodnetworknews.com]
Graves is the Executive Director of THE CENTER FOR MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY in Wisconsin…the folks who outed ALEC last year and campaigned successfully for major corporations to cut ties with ALEC this year. She was in Iowa to speak at the ICCI Convention on Saturday. She is also on the Executive Committee of national Move To Amend.
About thirty people turned out, escaping the blistering heat in an icy air-conditioned room at the IBEW hall. Marybeth Gardam of Cedar Rapids Move to Amend opened the program talking about Move to Amend, the organization formed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010. Hanging on one wall of the room was a poster depicting the historical timeline of increasing corporate power and wealth in the United States of America. What is Move to Amend? According to the fliers they handed out today:
“It’s been said that Slavery was the legal fiction that persons were property. Corporate Personhood is the legal fiction that property (Corporations) are people (legal persons). We want to strip from corporations the Constititutional rights that were intended for human citizens. Corporations would be able to operate their businesses just as they do now, except they would be accountable to states who charter them, and they would not be able to use their wealth and influence to take away the rights of human persons, influence elections or buy votes in our Congress.”
Move to Amend has three Iowa chapters in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. There is a nationwide petition that has over 200,000 signatures you may want to check out.
Speaking of corporations…. This was an appropriate segue to Graves’ topic which was ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Blog for Iowa has been posting about ALEC for some time, so we were not naive about the true nature of this organization, but listening to her description of how they operate in horrifying detail was well, horrifying.
Legislative members of ALEC (all Republicans) are not working for Iowans. They are working for corporate members of ALEC who get our state representatives to debase themselves by abandoning their duty to represent us, and to instead introduce legislation in our state house that the corporations want and have pre-approved and pre-authored. These bills of course have nothing to do with what is best for Iowa. They have only to do with what will best suit a right-wing national agenda that is corporate friendly and Democracy-unfriendly. The hundreds of bills that ALEC has pushed onto state legislatures across the country have commonalities of more rights for corporations and no rights for people.
ALEC is responsible for the tsunami of anti-democratic laws now sweeping Republican controlled state houses across the country and making their presence felt in Iowa. Examples of ALEC model laws include Voter ID laws (a transparent scam designed to prevent Democratic constituencies from voting against Republicans); anti public education/pro-private virtual school legislation, designed to make education a for-profit industry. Here’s how it works: Take away the classrooms, the schools, the extracurricular activities such as soccer, band, chorus, and replace them with a room full of computers, fund these virtual schools the same as public schools even though they are stripped down and cost less to operate, and the private corporation that runs the virtual school pockets the profit. Neat, huh? ALEC promotes torte reform (aka people can’t sue companies for wrongful or negligent acts no matter what the circumstances). Gun friendly laws such as “stand your ground” (shoot first) laws are to serve the profit desires of the firearms industry and have nothing to do with what makes sense for Iowa. The NRA, longstanding member of ALEC, is responsible for pushing these laws in state legislatures across the country. The Republicans will continue to try to pass this in Iowa for their friends in ALEC.
Legislative members of ALEC are virtually all Republicans. In Iowa, it is 100% Republican members in the House. It is not clear in the Iowa senate who are members. ALEC membership dues for Iowa House members are automatically paid for by the taxpayers. Our representatives must opt out of ALEC as opposed to opting in. All of the Iowa House Democrats have opted out of ALEC. Graves told an anecdote that once upon a time, Delores Mertz, a conservative Democrat was a member of ALEC, and said that ALEC had no interest in working with Democrats. Nonetheless, they try to pass themselves off as a neutral bipartisan organization that does nothing more than help legislators craft bills.
State chairs have additional ALEC duties. They must introduce the pre-authored-by-the-corporation bill, try to get it passed, and to raise money for ALEC “scholarships” - money ALEC doesn’t report to the IRS that they even have according to Graves.
One of the Iowa co-chairs is Rep. Linda Miller. If she is your representative, you may want to contact her about her membership and involvement in this anti-democratic group. Her duties as state chair of ALEC are not compatible with her greater duty to represent you.
More info.
Iowa’s Voter Id Bill can be found here: http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&ga=84&hbill=HF95
ALEC Exposed: http://alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
ALEC Voter ID Act Template: http://alecexposed.org/w/images/d/d9/7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed.pdf
American Legislative Exchange Council: http://www.alec.org/
Previously on Blog for Iowa
Every member of the [Iowa] [update] House Republican delegation is a member of ALEC by virtue of not opting out of such membership. Membership dues are paid by the state, that is, by taxpayer money. All House Democrats have resigned membership in ALEC.
blogforiowa.com/2011/10/20/the-corporate-bill-mill-which-iowa-legislators-have-alec-ties/
blogforiowa.com/2011/08/04/iowa-legislators-should-terminate-alec-memberships/
blogforiowa.com/2012/02/02/voter-id-law-will-make-it-harder-for-students-to-vote/
blogforiowa.com/2012/01/21/time-to-inform-ourselves-on-alec/
And directly from the ALEC.org page:
Terry Branstad, founding member of ALEC
“Among those who were involved with ALEC in its formative years were: Robert Kasten and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin; John Engler of Michigan; Terry Branstad of Iowa, and John Kasich of Ohio, all of whom moved on to become governors or members of Congress. “
What you can do
If your state Rep. is a Republican, you need to contact him or her and inquire about involvement in ALEC. Write a letter to the editor. When your local newspaper or TV station reports on stand your ground or voter ID laws or torte reform or privatizing education, and fails to mention ALEC, let them know.
If you would like help comparing Iowa bills with ALEC model bills, contact Lisa Graves at lisa@prwatch.org.
Click here for Lisa Graves bio.
Tags: ALEC, ALEC Iowa, Citizens United, Move to Amend, Voter ID bills | 
1 Comment »
Iowa Legislators With ALEC Ties
Iowa Legislators with ALEC Ties
Governor Terry Branstad (Iowa), identified by ALEC as involved in its formative years http://www.alec.org/about-alec/history/
House of Representatives
Rep. Richard T. Anderson (R-97), International Relations Task Force Member
Rep. Richard Arnold (R-72), Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Member
Rep. Betty De Boef (R-76)[19][22], Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Alternate
Rep. Dave Deyoe (R-10), Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Alternate
Rep. Greg Forristall (R-98)[19], Education Task Force Member
Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa (R-99), Education Task Force Member
Rep. David Heaton (R-91), Health and Human Services Task Force Member
Rep. Stewart E. Iverson, Jr. (R-5), International Relations Task Force Member
Rep. Mark S. Lofgren (R-80), Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Member
Rep. Linda Miller (R-82)[19], ALEC State Chairman[22][21] and Health and Human Services Task Force Member
Rep. Steven Olson (R-83), Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Member
Rep. Dawn E. Pettengill (R-39)[19], Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Member
Rep. Charles Soderberg (R-3), Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Member
Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-12)[19], Health and Human Services Task Force Member and former co-chair
Rep. Ralph Watts (R-47)[22][19]
Former Rep. Dolores Mertz (D), 2011 ALEC William J. Raggio Excellence in Leadership and Outstanding Service Award winner[1]
Senate
Sen. Sandra H. Greiner (R-45), Public Safety and Elections Task Force Member
Sen. Tim L. Kapucian (R-20), Public Safety and Elections Task Force Member
Sen. Kim Pearson (R-42), Civil Justice Task Force Member
Sen. Brian J. Quirk (D-15), Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force Member
Sen. Thomas R. Sands (R-87), Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force Member
Sen. James A. Seymour (R-28)[19], Civil Justice Task Force Member
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians#cite_note-ALEChistory-8
Progress Iowa Launches Iowa Anti-ALEC Campaign
[Note from BFIA: This just in from Dave Bradley - ALEC continues to slowly come apart: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/17/465775/alec-retreat-non-economic-issues/ There was a brief discussion of ALEC on River-to-River yesterday. Slowly they are being exposed to light and it is killing them.]
Progress Iowa launches campaign to demand Legislators stop sending tax dollars to ALEC
Campaign launches on tax day calling on Legislators to opt out of taxpayer-funded memberships
DES MOINES – Progress Iowa today called on all Iowans to contact their legislators and demand they opt out of a taxpayer funded membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing corporate front group.
“Today we are asking every Iowan to contact their legislator and tell them that sending taxpayer dollars to ALEC is unacceptable,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “Our legislators need to opt out of ALEC immediately. If a legislator has already opted out of ALEC, they need to speak out against the organization. We have a right to know that our tax dollars aren’t being spent on a shadowy group promoting an extreme right-wing agenda.”
Yesterday State Representative Kevin McCarthy spoke about the issue on Iowa Public Radio, saying “39 of (the) 40 members of our caucus have opted out so that we’re not having taxpayer dollars sent to this organization that advocates for things like ‘Stand your Ground’ which is why the Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and other entities are withdrawing their financial support from this organization.”
ALEC is a secretive, corporate front group that drafts legislation, allowing Iowa legislators to pass it off as their own. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, ALEC has provided model legislation in Iowa to suppress voter rights, withdraw from regional environmental partnerships, and require ‘intellectual diversity’ reporting from our college campuses.
During the past few weeks, ALEC has received mounting criticism for their role in promoting controversial legislation, such as “Stand Your Ground” laws, which have been implicated in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.
As a result, a number of high profile corporations and organizations have ended their financial support of ALEC, including: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, Intuit, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Mars, Inc.
To view the call to action and to contact your legislator, visit progressiowa.org
Additonal information:
Click here for audio of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s interview on Iowa Public Radio
ALEC-modeled legislation in Iowa (click here for full information including links to Iowa legislation and ALEC model legislation):
HF6 (introduced 1/11/11) “an act requiring the development of a searchable budget database.” Compare to ALEC’s “Transparency and Government Accountability Act.”
HR4 (introduced 1/26/11), a “A resolution calling for the withdrawal of the State of Iowa from the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord.” Compare to ALEC’s “State Withdrawal from Regional Climate Initiatives.”
HF95 (passed by the House 1/27/11) “establishing a requirement for voters to provide certain identification when voting in person.” Compare to ALEC’s “Voter ID Act.”
HSB19 (recorded 1/20/11) “concerning state preemption of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition regulation by political subdivisions and providing a remedy.” Compare to ALEC’s “Consistency in Firearms Regulation Act.”
HF285 (introduced 2/15/11) “relating to intellectual diversity in community colleges and institutions of higher education under the control of the state board of regents and providing a reporting requirement.” Compare to ALEC’s “Intellectual Diversity in Higher Education Act.”
Known ALEC Members in Iowa (According to SourceWatch):
Sen. Sandra H. Greiner (R-45)
Sen. Tim L. Kapucian (R-20)
Sen. James A. Seymour (R-28)
Rep. Richard T. Anderson (R-97)
Rep. Richard Arnold (R-72)
Rep. Betty De Boef (R-76)
Rep. Dave Deyoe (R-10)
Rep. Greg Forristall (R-98)
Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa (R-99)
Rep. David Heaton (R-91)
Rep. Stewart E. Iverson, Jr. (R-9)
Rep. Mark S. Lofgren (R-80)
Rep. Linda Miller (R-82)
Rep. Steven Olson (R-83)
Rep. Kim Pearson (R-42)
Rep. Dawn E. Pettengill (R-39)
Rep. Brian J. Quirk (D-15)
Rep. Thomas R. Sands (R-87)
Rep. Charles Soderberg (R-3)
Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-12)
Rep. Ralph Watts (R-47)
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