As critics gain, ALEC gives ground
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/alec-gives-ground-101552.html
ALEC is putting 2013 in its rearview mirror.
The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group of state lawmakers and corporations that, among other things, drafts model legislation, saw an exodus of members and a sharp decline in fundraising after it was tied to controversial “stand your ground laws” like the one made infamous following the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. ALEC has denied being the source of Florida’s law and says it has no model policy today bearing resemblance to it. But the group says its practice of keeping draft bills secret has allowed opponents to pin the organization unfairly to such measures.
So now, ALEC’s leaders say they are putting in place a key change that will make sure that never happens again. As part of what it calls a move toward more transparency, the group has decided to post online all the “model legislation” it develops so that lawmakers, the public and the press will be able to see exactly where ALEC stands.
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The move toward greater openness comes in the wake of dozens of corporate members pulling out earlier this year after ALEC was drawn into the Martin case.
By some estimates, as many as 400 lawmakers and 60 companies, including brand names like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and McDonald’s, bolted.
But critics say the transparency effort is a smokescreen, and they charge that ALEC remains the same corporate-driven “bill mill” designed to push right-wing business interests in statehouses with as little notice as possible. Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, points out what she says is the root of the problem and which hasn’t changed: Corporate members sit on closed-door task forces with lawmakers to develop the model policies. While ALEC says a board of only lawmakers makes the final calls on which bills the organization gets behind, Graves and other critics complain the decision-making takes place in secret and allows corporations to essentially buy influence over the state lawmakers.
“What ALEC does is provide a secretive forum where these corporate lobbyists aren’t just asking for a bill and registering in a particular state, it provides a forum where corporate entities vote as equals with our lawmakers on legislation without the press or public present, and I think that’s harmful to our democracy,” Graves said. “They say it’s just a dialogue; it’s not. These bills are real; they are introduced sometimes without a comma or period changed. It subverts the American democratic process.”
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