WTF Attends anti-ALEC Event
The American Legislative Exchange Council, (aka ALEC) held its annual meeting in Denver in July, in conjunction with the Western Conservative Summit. Colorado Common Cause decided to hold a Teach-In on July 15 to educate Coloradans about “the biggest threat to America you’ve never heard of.” WTF core committee member Nancy McKenna was in attendance.
Colorado Common Cause is a non-profit organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. One of their basic tenets is to promote government transparency and accountability. Their half-day teach-in brought about 150 citizens together to hear from a 10-person panel of experts from groups such as Take a Stand for Democracy, Mi Familia Vota, Conservation Colorado, NARAL Pro-choice CO, and Colorado Ethics Watch.
The panelists educated us on a range of topics and what we learned was alarming. ALEC, founded in the 70s, brings together corporate representatives and elected officials to create “model bills” that benefit the corporate bottom line, and then encourage Republicans in Statehouses across the country to introduce and pass them. The bills typically are drafted and refined at ALEC meetings which are closed to the public and the press. ALEC is working on 26 issues right now.
Here are some of the regrettable impacts that ALEC has had on Colorado:
- From Thamanna Vasan of the Colorado Fiscal Institute we learned that ALEC was behind the TABOR amendment (Taxpayer Bill Of Rights) that was put in place in 1992 in Colorado. TABOR hamstrings our legislature and forces large cuts to services we care about. If Senator Sonnenberg hadn’t joined forces with Colorado Democrats last spring, TABOR would have forced the closing of several rural hospitals by 2018.
- From Hilda Nucete of Conservation Colorado, we learned that ALEC is behind state privatization of public lands, and works to attack solar energy and create a negative perception of clean energy.
- From Luis Toro of Colorado Ethics Watch, a group that exposes corporations behind ballot measures, we learned how ALEC pushes for secrecy and opposes restrictions on who pays for ads. What we call “dark money” ALEC refers to as “anonymous free speech.”
- Carla Castedo of Mi Familia Vota explained how ALEC works to restrict voting by promoting Voter ID laws. Carla stated that @ 11% of US citizens lack an acceptable ID. This 11% consists mainly of minority populations, college students, the elderly and people on low incomes. It’s a fact that Voter ID laws reduce voter turnout, especially among groups that lean Democratic.
- Gena Ozols of NARAL Pro-Choice CO told us that ALEC backs anti-choice legislation and has spurred groups like the Americans United for Life and the Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ organization. With the help of ALEC, since 2011 over 300 anti-choice bills have been passed in state legislatures throughout the U.S.
- Paul Booth of Take A Stand for Democracy shared that ALEC’s political alignment was an instrument to drive pro-labor and pro-choice positions out of Republican voters. Their anti-union measures were part of a long-term strategy to reduce labor rights and the union membership.
These are just some of the highlights. The panel was followed by break out groups where we delved further into some of the issues and learned what we could do. It was truly time well-spent.
Common Cause has produced an excellent resource on ALEC, called “ALEC in Colorado: Uncovering the Influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the Colorado Legislature.” Get a copy to learn more, find out if your legislator is a member and what you can do about ALEC.
Originally published in The Weathervane No 10 on July 27, 2017. [Subscribe]
