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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: May 17, 2012
CONTACT: Sara
Jerving
608-260-9713, sa...@prwatch.org
CMD Releases New Report
“ALEC Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State”
Watchdog Groups Call for Attorney General Investigation of ALEC
Lobbying Activities
MADISON -- Today, the Madison-based
Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new report that
details the exclusive network of corporate lobbyists and special
interest groups that influence the Wisconsin legislature through the
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
“This report reveals details of the
extraordinary influence of ALEC and its agenda on the Wisconsin
legislature and our laws over the past 16 months,” said Lisa Graves,
executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy. “This
corporate-backed agenda undermines the rights of Wisconsin families
while advancing the agenda of huge corporations and special interest
groups.”
Six weeks ago, corporate members of ALEC
started jumping ship when it became known that Florida’s “Stand Your
Ground Law” -- linked to the Trayvon Martin shooting -- spread to
over two dozen states via ALEC. So far, 14 corporate members and 45
legislators from other states have quit the organization.
"We document how global corporations are
buying influence with Wisconsin legislators through potentially
illegal gifts called ALEC ‘scholarships,’" said CMD Law Fellow
Brendan Fischer, the report's author. "ALEC’s corporate members are
not only giving Wisconsin legislators thousands of dollars of
campaign contributions, they are also buying flights and hotel
rooms. These gifts undermine Wisconsin’s reputation for clean
government and strict ethics rules designed to protect the voices of
Wisconsin residents in our state's democracy."
CMD asked the Wisconsin Government
Accountability Board in March to determine whether ALEC member
legislators receiving gifts of flights and hotel rooms from ALEC's
corporate members violates state ethics and lobbying laws. Now, CMD
and Common Cause in Wisconsin are asking Wisconsin’s Attorney
General to look into ALEC’s lobbying activities.
"It is time for the Attorney General to
determine that ALEC is primarily a corporate lobbying group
masquerading as a charity," said Common Cause in Wisconsin Executive
Director Jay Heck. "ALEC's corporate members fund the organization
to access and influence state legislators, and it is unacceptable to
get a tax deduction for doing so."
Here are some of the key findings from
the new report:
- 32 bills or budget provisions reflecting
ALEC model legislation were introduced in Wisconsin's 2011-2012
legislative session;
- 21 of these bills or budget provisions
have passed, two were vetoed;
- More than $276,000 in campaign
contributions were made to ALEC legislators in Wisconsin from ALEC
corporations since 2008;
- More than $406,000 in campaign
contributions were made to ALEC alumnus Governor Walker from ALEC
corporations over the same time period to his state campaign
account;
- At least 49 current Wisconsin
legislators are known ALEC members, including the leaders of both
the House and Senate as well as other legislators holding key posts
in the state. Additionally, the Governor, the Secretary of the
Department of Administration, and the Chairman of the Public Service
Commission are ALEC alumni; and
- At least 17 current legislators have
received thousands of dollars of gifts cumulatively from ALEC
corporations in the past few years, in the form of flights and hotel
rooms filtered through the ALEC “scholarship fund” (complete
“scholarship” information is not available).
ALEC describes itself as the largest
"independent member association of state legislators" in the
country, but over 98 percent of its nearly $7 million in annual
revenue comes from corporations and sources other than legislative
dues, which are $50 a year. Representatives from America’s largest
corporations, including Koch Industries, Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil,
Reynolds, and Altria/Phillip Morris fund ALEC and sit on its private
sector governing board.
The full report can be found at ALECexposed.org. The
letter to the Attorney General can be found here
(PDF).
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