THE push to get companies to leave alec continues and the total now stands at 31 with Walgreen's & GM ending their association with the organization. This from Think Progress.....
General Motors And Walgreens’ Leave ALEC |
Call it an exodus. Two more companies, General Motors and Walgreens’,
are the latest to withdraw from the conservative legislation-crafting
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), bringing the total up to 31 organizations that have left the group in just four months. In April, progressive advocates urged companies to leave ALEC because of its ties to voter suppression efforts around the country. Progressive organizing group ColorOfChange.org continues to lobby other ALEC stakeholders to leave the group.
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/26/591611/general-motors-and-walgreens-leave-alec/?mobile=nc
10JUL12
Five More Groups Drop ALEC, Bringing Count To 29 |
HP, CVS, BestBuy, Deere, and MillerCoors are the latest companies to join the mass exodus
from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The Republican
legislation-crafting group has been losing its members ever since
scandals blew up over their voter suppression efforts and their push behind the Stand Your Ground
Law that originally protected George Zimmerman in the killing of
Trayvon Martin. These five new companies make a total of twenty nine
groups to leave ALEC in recent months, as progressive advocacy
organizations have urged companies to reconsider their memberships.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/10/514097/29-groups-drop-alec/
21JUN12
BREAKING: Dell Becomes 24th Group To Drop ALEC |
Computer technology giant Dell has decided to drop its membership in
the American Legislative Exchange Council, a right-wing corporate front
group behind the spread of voter suppression laws and Stand You Ground
legislation. According to a letter from Dell’s Principal Social
Strategist obtained by ThinkProgress, the company has decided not to
renew its membership. Dell is the 20th company
and 24th group to end its relationship with ALEC, but some large
corporations remain in the fold, including State Farm and AT&T.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/21/503766/dell-drops-alec/
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label state farm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label state farm. Show all posts
26 April 2012
CALL YOUR STATE FARM AGENT AND DEMAND THEY DUMP ALEC 26APR12
STATE FARM is still supporting alec, still supporting voter repression, stand your ground legislation, anti-union and anti-worker rights legislation. If you are a State Farm customer call your insurance agent and tell them you want State Farm to end it's association with alec or you may end your association with State Farm. I have been with State Farm for over 30 years and called their HQ in Bloomington, IL and my local agent last week and I will call my agent again. Click the link for a helpful script to use when making your call. This from Bold Progressives......
The dominoes continue to fall! On Monday, Proctor &
Gamble joined more than a dozen companies and state legislators in
dropping their support of ALEC. This is real momentum!
But State Farm is still supporting this voter-suppression, union-busting organization, even though other major companies have pledged to stop funding ALEC.
You told us you're a State Farm policy holder -- can you call your agent and demand an end to their support of ALEC's extremism? Click here now to make the call.
Nothing will grab State Farm's attention more than tons of customers calling for the company to drop ALEC. By calling your agent today we will send a strong message to State Farm, and will soon be able to add them to the list of fallen ALEC sponsors.
Call your State Farm agent now -- and demand they leave ALEC. Click here for a script and to record your call!
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- James Ploeser, PCCC State Organizing Director
 |
But State Farm is still supporting this voter-suppression, union-busting organization, even though other major companies have pledged to stop funding ALEC.
You told us you're a State Farm policy holder -- can you call your agent and demand an end to their support of ALEC's extremism? Click here now to make the call.
Nothing will grab State Farm's attention more than tons of customers calling for the company to drop ALEC. By calling your agent today we will send a strong message to State Farm, and will soon be able to add them to the list of fallen ALEC sponsors.
Call your State Farm agent now -- and demand they leave ALEC. Click here for a script and to record your call!
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- James Ploeser, PCCC State Organizing Director
20 April 2012
IF you are a State Farm customer like I am it is really important for you to call State Farm and tell them you want State Farm to end it's association with alec. I did, and I also called and e mailed my agent. It is important for as many as possible to call State Farm, whether you are a customer or not. Click the link on this call to action from ColorOfChange.....
|
You and more than 85,000 ColorOfChange members have called on
corporations to stop supporting the American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC) because of its role in voter suppression. In the last two
weeks, news broke that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, Intuit,
McDonald's, Wendy's, and Mars have all ended their relationships with
ALEC — a major step forward in our campaign. But many major corporations
are still funding ALEC.
State Farm is one of them. We contacted State Farm to make sure they
understand that through their membership in ALEC, they are supporting
racially-discriminatory voter ID laws1,2 that have the potential to disenfranchise over 5 million people in the upcoming elections.3
But despite correspondence including letters and telephone
conversations, we can't get State Farm's management to give us a
commitment that they'll leave ALEC. They need to know that people like
you want them to do the right thing.
Will you help us hold State Farm accountable for supporting voter suppression? Please take a moment to call State Farm and demand that they stop supporting ALEC:
State Farm is a well-known household brand. By associating itself with
ALEC, the company lends legitimacy to a reactionary organization that is
undermining voting rights and democracy.
State Farm has made a substantial amount of money from Black consumers,
and they have many Black employees. But they are placing a hefty
membership fee in the hands of a group that is working to weaken the
Black vote. We can't let State Farm take our money with one hand and
take away our vote with the other.
The ballot box isn't the only place where ALEC's policies are dangerous for Black people.
Florida's "Shoot First" law has thus far stopped George Zimmerman from
being arrested for shooting Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old armed only
with a pack of Skittles and an iced tea. ALEC views the Florida "Shoot
First" law as a "model" piece of legislation for other states to adopt
and they have helped push it into over two dozen states, with it under
consideration in eight more.4 The group has also written
legislation to impose harsher criminal penalties on juveniles, to
privatize education, and to break unions.
State Farm's financial support of ALEC must end. Please join us
in calling on State Farm to disassociate itself from ALEC and stop
supporting an agenda that harms Black people and anyone who cares about
equality in our democracy. It just takes a minute:
Thanks and Peace,
-- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
April 17th, 2012
April 17th, 2012
P.S. We want to acknowledge our partners at CREDO Action, the Center for
Media & Democracy, Common Cause, Progress Now, People for the
American Way, and SumOfUs, who have been doing excellent work to help
expose ALEC.
Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org
is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from
lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our
tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute
here:
References
1. "New Evidence of ALEC Connections in All Successful Voter ID Legislation," Campus Progress, 09-08-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/
http://act.colorofchange.org/
2. "First, show your face," The Economist, 09-17-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/
http://act.colorofchange.org/
3. “GOP, ALEC Could Make It Harder For 5 Million To Cast Ballots,” Mother Jones, 10-3-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/
http://act.colorofchange.org/
4. "Blood for Money: NRA, ALEC, & 'Shoot First' Laws," Center for Media and Democracy/ALECExposed.org,
http://act.colorofchange.org/
http://act.colorofchange.org/
ALEC to Right-Wing Bloggers: We Need Your Help! 18APR12 & ColorOfChange Applauds Yum Brand's Decision to End its Membership in ALEC 19APR12
I have State Farm auto insurance, have been with them for over 30 years, also have my renters insurance with them. I just called my agent here in Herndon, VA and asked him when State Farm is going to end it's association with alec as it may have an impact on whether or not I renew my policies with them in May. He actually was not aware of the controversy and said he will contact the corp offices in Bloomington, IL and will get back to me. He did want more information on alec, I directed him to TheColorOfChange.org . The companies who have dropped alec so far are Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell & Pizza Hut), McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Mars Inc., Coca-Cola,
PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Intuit, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Reed
Elsevier (owner of LexisNexis and publisher of science and health
information), American Traffic Solutions and Arizona Public Service. This article from Mother Jones on alec seeking the help of right-wing bloggers to stop the flow of companies leaving them due to public pressure, followed by a statement on the anti-alec campaign from ColorOfChange......
The American Legislative Exchange Council,
the once-obscure organization that pairs corporations with state
lawmakers to draft pro-business and often anti-union legislation for the
state level, is in damage control mode. Corporate members such as McDonald's, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Mars, Inc.
have cut ties with ALEC after taking heat from a coalition of
progressive groups angry over ALEC's "discriminatory" voter ID bills and
controversial "Stand Your Ground" self-defense legislation that figures into the Trayvon Martin shooting in central Florida.
To push back, ALEC has turned to the conservative blogosphere for help. As PR Watch reported, Caitlyn Korb, ALEC's director of external relations, told attendees at a Heritage Foundation "Bloggers Briefing" on Tuesday that the campaign against ALEC was "part of a wider effort to shut all of us down." She asked the bloggers for "any and all institutional support" in ALEC's fight against progressive groups, especially when it came to social media. "We're getting absolutely killed in social media venues—Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest," she said. "Any and all new media support you guys can provide would be so helpful, not just to us but to average people who don't know much about this fight but are seeing us really get heavily attacked with very little opposition."
Korb educated the bloggers with a handout listing ALEC's positions on a range of issues. PR Watch, one of ALEC's loudest critics, described the handout as "riddled with errors." Here's a list of ALEC statements followed by PR Watch's responses in italics:
The progressive groups waging war on ALEC, meanwhile, have no plans of letting up. "Corporate membership in ALEC isn't just destructive to democracy, it's also bad for business," Michael Keegan, president of People for the American Way, said last week. "Corporations that currently support ALEC have a choice to make: They can continue to underwrite reckless assaults on our rights and wellbeing, or they can stand up for their customers by leaving ALEC immediately."
To push back, ALEC has turned to the conservative blogosphere for help. As PR Watch reported, Caitlyn Korb, ALEC's director of external relations, told attendees at a Heritage Foundation "Bloggers Briefing" on Tuesday that the campaign against ALEC was "part of a wider effort to shut all of us down." She asked the bloggers for "any and all institutional support" in ALEC's fight against progressive groups, especially when it came to social media. "We're getting absolutely killed in social media venues—Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest," she said. "Any and all new media support you guys can provide would be so helpful, not just to us but to average people who don't know much about this fight but are seeing us really get heavily attacked with very little opposition."
Korb educated the bloggers with a handout listing ALEC's positions on a range of issues. PR Watch, one of ALEC's loudest critics, described the handout as "riddled with errors." Here's a list of ALEC statements followed by PR Watch's responses in italics:
Blogger outreach isn't ALEC's only response to the campaign against it. ALEC has issued a handful of statements decrying the "coordinated and well-funded intimidation campaign" against it and pledging to keep pushing its agenda. In what some progressives touted as a victory, ALEC announced this week that it is eliminating of its "Public Safety and Elections" task force, the group that pushed voter ID bills as well as Stand Your Ground laws. Korb said ALEC will soon launch a new website called "I Stand With ALEC" to rally support. "We need to start fighting back," she said.
- "The potential solutions discussed at ALEC focus on free markets, limited government, and constitutional division of powers between the federal and state governments." It is hard to discern what voter suppression bills, tax breaks for big tobacco, bans on unionization, protections for companies whose products injure or kill, and "Stand Your Ground/Kill at Will" laws have to do with free markets.
- "The organization respects diversity of thought; it is a non-partisan resource for its members, which include more than 2,000 Republican and Democratic state legislators." Diversity of thought apparently refers to Republicans talking to Republicans. Although touted as "nonpartisan," when CMD launched ALEC Exposed, out of 104 legislators in leadership positions in ALEC, only one was a Democrat. It's hard to believe that ALEC phone briefs on redistricting are totally nonpartisan.
- "Unlike in many private sector groups that offer model legislation, elected state legislators fully control ALEC’s model legislation process." As ALEC's public Task Force Operating Procedures" (PDF, p. 8) and other documents reveal, corporate members vote alongside legislators in ALEC task forces.
- "Each state legislator and their constituents then decide which solutions are best for them and their states." For the most part, constituents have no way of knowing that corporations wrote or approved ALEC legislation behind closed doors.
The progressive groups waging war on ALEC, meanwhile, have no plans of letting up. "Corporate membership in ALEC isn't just destructive to democracy, it's also bad for business," Michael Keegan, president of People for the American Way, said last week. "Corporations that currently support ALEC have a choice to make: They can continue to underwrite reckless assaults on our rights and wellbeing, or they can stand up for their customers by leaving ALEC immediately."
13 April 2012
Megalobbying, TELL CORPORATE AMERICA TO DUMP ALEC! 13APR12 & Virginia House speaker William Howell said conservative group ALEC is ‘under attack’ by liberals 12APR12
FROM SumOfUS, the continuing campaign to force corporate America to end their membership in alec. The companies that are continuing their membership in alec need to be told they are not going to be able to fund voter suppression laws, anti-labor laws and other right-wing programs with our money, the money we spend on their products and services. Click the link to send a message to johnson & johnson, at&t, state farm and other companies demanding they cut their ties with alec now! AND for residents of Virginia check out the Washington Post article about VA House Speaker william howell and alec's influence in Richmond.....
Every time you buy a Band-Aid, you're helping fund the "Stand Your
Ground" law that Trayvon Martin's killer was hiding behind -- and
thousands of other bad laws written by the American Legislative Exchange
Council.
ALEC's mission is simple: to help corporations write bad laws -- laws that help their own profits to the cost of the 99% -- and get state legislatures to pass them verbatim. And to make matters worse: They're doing it with our money -- because along with funding from the usual suspects like Koch Industries and Exxon, ALEC's members include companies like Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, and State Farm.
But this week ALEC is reeling -- because in the wake of Trayvon Martin's shooting and revelations that ALEC wrote the Stand Your Ground law that was protecting Trayvon's killer, corporate sponsors have been falling like dominoes. Megacorporations Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's, Kraft and more have all quit in the last two weeks -- putting a huge dent in ALEC's budget.
Tell Johnson & Johnson and the rest of ALEC’s remaining funders to quit now.
Has your state adopted a “Stand Your Ground” law as well? Thank ALEC. Pushed for laws making it harder for minorities and the poor to vote? That’s ALEC too. Attacked unions? Undermined federal health care reform? Weakened environmental regulation? Passed tax breaks for corporations? Privatized government services? These laws were all written by the very corporations or special-interest groups that they benefited -- through ALEC.
But consumers are fighting back! One by one, our partners at Color of Change, CREDO Action, and more have been peeling off corporate support for ALEC. Practically every day in the last two weeks a new company has quit -- yesterday it was Mars. And the state legislators who ALEC uses to introduce legislation are coming under increasing pressure to stop associating with ALEC as well.
Now let’s take the fight to Johnson & Johnson -- which makes everything from Band-Aids to baby shampoo -- AT&T, State Farm and the rest of ALEC’s donors. Our friends at Color of Change will deliver your petition straight to the key companies.
Tell ALEC's corporate sponsors to stop using our money to fund laws like "Stand Your Ground."
Thanks for all that you do,
Claiborne, Kelsey, Kaytee and the rest of us
-----------------------------
More information:
"Corporate interests fuel group’s desire to shape Va. legislation, critics say", Washington Post, 21 Dec 2011
"EXPOSED: The Corporations Funding The Annual Meeting Of The Powerful Right-Wing Front Group ALEC", ThinkProgress, 5 Aug 2011
SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to
hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new,
sustainable path for our global economy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Was this email forwarded to you? Click here to add yourself to SumOfUs.
Howell said the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that has lost some of its corporate members in the past week, has been subjected to a six-month attack by liberal groups, including the Occupy movement, Moveon.org and billionaire George Soros.
In a testy exchange after a tense news conference, Howell blamed the advocacy group ProgressVA for issuing what he called an inaccurate report in January outlining ALEC’s legislative influence in Virginia. He also criticized The Washington Post for writing about the review. ALEC has ghostwritten legislation across the nation, including in Virginia.
Howell grew frustrated after a line of questioning from Anna Scholl, the executive director of ProgressVA, and after she asked him for clarification, Howell replied: “I guess I’m not speaking in little enough words for you to understand.’’
Scholl retorted: “I’m a smart girl, actually. I went to the University of Virginia. I benefited from public education in Virginia. I think words with multiple syllables will be just fine for me.”
Virginia Democrats immediately released a video of the exchange, taped by a staffer, and called on Howell to apologize for his “belligerent and mean-spirited attack.” Howell’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
“After four months of outrageous Republican attacks on women’s rights, I guess I should not be surprised by Speaker Howell’s statement,” said Susan Platt, co-founder of the Farm Team, which supports female candidates for office in Virginia. “It is distressing, to say the least, that Howell has so wholeheartedly embraced this national trend of rhetoric against women. It is becoming pervasive.”
During the news conference on Thursday, Howell also chastised reporters for their coverage of the two-year, $85 billion state budget as well as former governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) for making unilateral decisions regarding a Metrorail project to Dulles International Airport. (Kaine negotiated an agreement on the project at the urging of several Republicans, including then-Sens. John Warner and George Allen and Rep. Frank Wolf.)
Howell, ALEC’s national chairman in 2009, appeared at a Capitol Square news conference with business leaders to tout a survey by ALEC that showed Virginia has been named one of the best states in which to do business.
ALEC touts itself as a pro-business, free-market organization, and its members include legislators and private companies. Corporate members pay fees, which give them a say on legislative issues. In recent weeks, several corporations have dropped their support of ALEC following scrutiny of “Stand Your Ground” laws after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. The group had lobbied for similar laws in other states.
Howell said the group had nothing to do with the Florida case and the legislation there came before ALEC’s involvement. He predicted that ALEC, which had 65 new corporate members last year, will easily survive the latest defections.
Howell said the tactics used to pressure companies who are ALEC members included calls for boycotts that go back to the days of the Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s political organization. “They have been very, very open . . . that they want to destroy ALEC,’’ he said. “It’s discouraging, disappointing to see this intimidation, this extortion that’s going on against ALEC right now.’’
Howell said the attacks are the result of ALEC’s success in promoting the free market as opposed to a “government-controlled economy.”
“It’s a great exchange of ideas,’’ he said.
At least 115 current or former members of the Virginia General Assembly have ties to ALEC, either by sponsoring bills, attending conferences or paying membership dues, according to the ProgressVA study. The state has spent $232,000 during the past decade to send legislators, primarily members of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, to ALEC conferences and meetings.
Howell said ProgressVa’s study was inaccurate because it excluded other organizations, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, a group some Republicans accuse of leaning left. NCSL differs from ALEC in that only legislators and staffers are able to be members, and NCSL rarely writes model legislation.
Scholl introduced herself to Howell after the news conference and asked about the inaccuracies he had raised. After the exchange with Howell, Scholl declined to comment, except to say she would still like that information.
ProgressVA used data from a national report to identify more than 60 Virginia bills that ALEC helped author. Those bills included a piece of legislation calling for companies that hire illegal immigrants to be shut down, and another that would give businesses tax credits to fund private school tuition for needy students. Virtually all of the bills were introduced by Republicans.
The list of Virginia bills also includes one championed by Howell for several years that would have helped protect a Fortune 500 company, Philadelphia-based Crown Cork & Seal, from asbestos lawsuits. It was one of the few bills Howell publicly supported, and it died in a tight vote.
Seven bills that ALEC helped author passed in the General Assembly, including measures on education, taxes and health care, according to the study by ProgressVA. One of the resulting laws laid the groundwork for Virginia’s legal challenge of the federal health-care law passed in 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-house-speaker-william-howell-said-conservative-group-alec-is-under-attack-by-liberals/2012/04/12/gIQAD5hrDT_print.html
Tell J&J, State Farm, AT&T, and other corporate ALEC sponsors: Stop using our money to fund right-wing legislation.
ALEC's mission is simple: to help corporations write bad laws -- laws that help their own profits to the cost of the 99% -- and get state legislatures to pass them verbatim. And to make matters worse: They're doing it with our money -- because along with funding from the usual suspects like Koch Industries and Exxon, ALEC's members include companies like Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, and State Farm.
But this week ALEC is reeling -- because in the wake of Trayvon Martin's shooting and revelations that ALEC wrote the Stand Your Ground law that was protecting Trayvon's killer, corporate sponsors have been falling like dominoes. Megacorporations Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's, Kraft and more have all quit in the last two weeks -- putting a huge dent in ALEC's budget.
Tell Johnson & Johnson and the rest of ALEC’s remaining funders to quit now.
Has your state adopted a “Stand Your Ground” law as well? Thank ALEC. Pushed for laws making it harder for minorities and the poor to vote? That’s ALEC too. Attacked unions? Undermined federal health care reform? Weakened environmental regulation? Passed tax breaks for corporations? Privatized government services? These laws were all written by the very corporations or special-interest groups that they benefited -- through ALEC.
But consumers are fighting back! One by one, our partners at Color of Change, CREDO Action, and more have been peeling off corporate support for ALEC. Practically every day in the last two weeks a new company has quit -- yesterday it was Mars. And the state legislators who ALEC uses to introduce legislation are coming under increasing pressure to stop associating with ALEC as well.
Now let’s take the fight to Johnson & Johnson -- which makes everything from Band-Aids to baby shampoo -- AT&T, State Farm and the rest of ALEC’s donors. Our friends at Color of Change will deliver your petition straight to the key companies.
Tell ALEC's corporate sponsors to stop using our money to fund laws like "Stand Your Ground."
Thanks for all that you do,
Claiborne, Kelsey, Kaytee and the rest of us
-----------------------------
More information:
"Corporate interests fuel group’s desire to shape Va. legislation, critics say", Washington Post, 21 Dec 2011
"EXPOSED: The Corporations Funding The Annual Meeting Of The Powerful Right-Wing Front Group ALEC", ThinkProgress, 5 Aug 2011
SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to
hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new,
sustainable path for our global economy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Was this email forwarded to you? Click here to add yourself to SumOfUs.
Virginia House speaker William Howell said conservative group ALEC is ‘under attack’ by liberals
By Anita Kumar,
RICHMOND — Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) on Thursday strongly defended a national conservative organization he used to lead, arguing that it has become a victim of intimidation and extortion.Howell said the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that has lost some of its corporate members in the past week, has been subjected to a six-month attack by liberal groups, including the Occupy movement, Moveon.org and billionaire George Soros.
In a testy exchange after a tense news conference, Howell blamed the advocacy group ProgressVA for issuing what he called an inaccurate report in January outlining ALEC’s legislative influence in Virginia. He also criticized The Washington Post for writing about the review. ALEC has ghostwritten legislation across the nation, including in Virginia.
Howell grew frustrated after a line of questioning from Anna Scholl, the executive director of ProgressVA, and after she asked him for clarification, Howell replied: “I guess I’m not speaking in little enough words for you to understand.’’
Scholl retorted: “I’m a smart girl, actually. I went to the University of Virginia. I benefited from public education in Virginia. I think words with multiple syllables will be just fine for me.”
Virginia Democrats immediately released a video of the exchange, taped by a staffer, and called on Howell to apologize for his “belligerent and mean-spirited attack.” Howell’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
“After four months of outrageous Republican attacks on women’s rights, I guess I should not be surprised by Speaker Howell’s statement,” said Susan Platt, co-founder of the Farm Team, which supports female candidates for office in Virginia. “It is distressing, to say the least, that Howell has so wholeheartedly embraced this national trend of rhetoric against women. It is becoming pervasive.”
During the news conference on Thursday, Howell also chastised reporters for their coverage of the two-year, $85 billion state budget as well as former governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) for making unilateral decisions regarding a Metrorail project to Dulles International Airport. (Kaine negotiated an agreement on the project at the urging of several Republicans, including then-Sens. John Warner and George Allen and Rep. Frank Wolf.)
Howell, ALEC’s national chairman in 2009, appeared at a Capitol Square news conference with business leaders to tout a survey by ALEC that showed Virginia has been named one of the best states in which to do business.
ALEC touts itself as a pro-business, free-market organization, and its members include legislators and private companies. Corporate members pay fees, which give them a say on legislative issues. In recent weeks, several corporations have dropped their support of ALEC following scrutiny of “Stand Your Ground” laws after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. The group had lobbied for similar laws in other states.
Howell said the group had nothing to do with the Florida case and the legislation there came before ALEC’s involvement. He predicted that ALEC, which had 65 new corporate members last year, will easily survive the latest defections.
Howell said the tactics used to pressure companies who are ALEC members included calls for boycotts that go back to the days of the Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s political organization. “They have been very, very open . . . that they want to destroy ALEC,’’ he said. “It’s discouraging, disappointing to see this intimidation, this extortion that’s going on against ALEC right now.’’
Howell said the attacks are the result of ALEC’s success in promoting the free market as opposed to a “government-controlled economy.”
“It’s a great exchange of ideas,’’ he said.
At least 115 current or former members of the Virginia General Assembly have ties to ALEC, either by sponsoring bills, attending conferences or paying membership dues, according to the ProgressVA study. The state has spent $232,000 during the past decade to send legislators, primarily members of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, to ALEC conferences and meetings.
Howell said ProgressVa’s study was inaccurate because it excluded other organizations, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, a group some Republicans accuse of leaning left. NCSL differs from ALEC in that only legislators and staffers are able to be members, and NCSL rarely writes model legislation.
Scholl introduced herself to Howell after the news conference and asked about the inaccuracies he had raised. After the exchange with Howell, Scholl declined to comment, except to say she would still like that information.
ProgressVA used data from a national report to identify more than 60 Virginia bills that ALEC helped author. Those bills included a piece of legislation calling for companies that hire illegal immigrants to be shut down, and another that would give businesses tax credits to fund private school tuition for needy students. Virtually all of the bills were introduced by Republicans.
The list of Virginia bills also includes one championed by Howell for several years that would have helped protect a Fortune 500 company, Philadelphia-based Crown Cork & Seal, from asbestos lawsuits. It was one of the few bills Howell publicly supported, and it died in a tight vote.
Seven bills that ALEC helped author passed in the General Assembly, including measures on education, taxes and health care, according to the study by ProgressVA. One of the resulting laws laid the groundwork for Virginia’s legal challenge of the federal health-care law passed in 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-house-speaker-william-howell-said-conservative-group-alec-is-under-attack-by-liberals/2012/04/12/gIQAD5hrDT_print.html
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