ALEC

» ALEC
Latest News

WTTG News: Anti-abortion group pledges $1.5M for Cuccinelli
by

-By Bob Lewis (Associated Press)

February 27, 2013- RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The Susan B. Anthony List, a national organization that opposes abortion, is pledging at least $1.5 million to the Republican gubernatorial campaign of Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia.

The organization will announce the commitment Thursday.

The group's president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, tells The Associated Press that the choice of the conservative Virginia attorney general with a vivid record of anti-abortion action was an easy call. She calls it "hands-down the most important election in the country right now."

FULL STORY HERE:

… Read More
Latest News

Think Progress: Montana Bill Would Give Corporations The Right To Vote
by

-By Ian Millhiser

February 22, 2013- A bill introduced by Montana state Rep. Steve Lavin would give corporations the right to vote in municipal elections:

Provision for vote by corporate property owner. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a firm, partnership, company, or corporation owns real property within the municipality, the president, vice president, secretary, or other designee of the entity is eligible to vote in a municipal election as provided in [section 1].

(2) The individual who is designated to vote by the entity is subject to the provisions of [section 1] and shall also provide to the election administrator documentation of the entity’s registration with the secretary of state under 35-1-217 and proof of the individual’s designation to vote on behalf of the entity.

… Read More
Latest News

NBC News: Flurry of Voter ID laws tied to conservative group ALEC
by

-By Ethan Magoc

August 21, 2012- A growing number of conservative Republican state legislators worked fervently during the past two years to enact laws requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Lawmakers proposed 62 photo ID bills in 37 states in the 2011 and 2012 sessions, with multiple bills introduced in some states. Ten states have passed strict photo ID laws since 2008, though several may not be in effect in November because of legal challenges.

A News21 analysis found that more than half of the 62 bills were sponsored by members or conference attendees of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, D.C., tax-exempt organization.

ALEC has nearly 2,000 state legislator members who pay $100 in dues every two years. Most of ALEC’s money comes from nonprofits and corporations — from AT&T to Bank of America to Chevron to eBay — which pay thousands of dollars in dues each year.

… Read More
Latest News

Truthout: ALEC Accused of Violating Its Tax-Exempt Status; Will the IRS Take Action?
by

-By Jason Leopold

July 5, 2012- Will the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launch an investigation into the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the corporate-backed "nonpartisan" "stealth business lobbyist" group that has been accused of flouting civil and criminal tax laws?

That's the obvious question to ask after a prominent Washington, DC-based tax attorney, acting at the behest of one of his clients, sent the IRS a 30-page complaint two weeks ago, following a months-long exhaustive study of ALEC's tax filings, expenditures and public reports about its political activities. The study contained dozens of new examples of how ALEC, whose board is made up entirely of Republican lawmakers, has violated its tax-exempt status.

… Read More
Latest News

New York Times: When ALEC Takes Over Your Town
by

-By Joe Nocera

June 18, 2012- The Rhode Island State Legislature finally adjourned its 2012 session around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. It had been a brutal last few days.

In May, the State Senate had approved a supplemental property tax increase of 13.8 percent, to be imposed on the residents of Woonsocket, a struggling city with a $10 million deficit. But when the bill moved to the House of Representatives, two conservative Woonsocket representatives refused to go along, and no amount of late-night negotiating could change their minds. Everyone finally gave up and went home.

… Read More