Gridlock on "Pause" President Obama Signs Bill to Fund Jobs, ALEC Update

JOURNAL: ISSUE 2 - 2012

In his previous "President's Message", BAC President James Boland criticized the rise of the secretive group called the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC, which has introduced more than 1,000 "model" bills in state legislatures written by and for ALEC's corporate members that run the gamut from targeting the rights of unions and union members to suppressing voting rights.

Shortly after the publication of the last Journal, Wal-Mart announced that it had ended financial support for ALEC, joining a growing list of companies, including Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble and Amazon that have broken ties with the unscrupulous organization. The massive corporate exodus from ALEC's ranks promises to have a considerable effect on its revenues, of which more than 80% come from corporate contributions.

In related news, Senate Democrats in New York held a hearing on June 14th to explore the extent of the group's legislative impact in the state. Making that objective more difficult, however, is ALEC's registration as a charitable rather than a lobbying organization, thus limiting transparency and vital information about 
its operations.