ry: from changes to U.S. gun laws like the message and a conservative message,” said Florida “stand your ground” legislation Graves, of the Center for Media and Demade infamous by the Trayvon Martin mocracy, which in July 2011 made public shooting (a measure that was crafted with 800 internal documents on its website, help from the National Rifle Association, a alecexposed.org, proving ALEC’s cloaked prominent ALEC member), to state-based hand in crafting “model legislation” efforts at overturning or circumventing the meant for introduction in statehouses Affordable Care Act, to recent measures around the country. limiting teacher union powers and handing “At its core, it is a way to take some of portions of student instruction over to forthese ideas that a think tank might fancy profit education companies. Even Arizona’s and operationalize them,” she said. “And hotly contested immigration law, SB1070, I use ‘operationalize’ very purposefully.” started life as an ALEC-approved A call to ALEC’s media rela“model” bill. tions representative for this “There’s a whole story went unanswered, set of bills that are but the organization’s advancing that corideological bent is porate agenda to clear enough on privatize prisons, its website: a privatize educa“nonpartisan tion—and by individual privatize I membership mean proforganization itize,” said of state legisGraves. lators which favors fedTHE DOLLAR AMOUNT eralism and profit is conservative THAT ALEC COLLECTED the public policy FROM CORPORATIONS, solutions.” FOUNDATIONS AND Registered with the Internal According to figNON-PROFITS IN THE Revenue Service as ures from ALEC’s own PAST THREE YEARS. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, IRS filings from 2007ALEC boasts around 2,000 2009, made public by CMD, member the organizalegislators— tion raked in the vast more than majority $21.6 million being Refrom corpopublicans— rations (with who pay a members nominal fee including for memberExxon Moship, and bil, Altria, upwards GlaxoSof 300 mithKline corporate and Pfizer), —Lisa Graves, Center for Media and Democracy foundations and other private-seclike none tor members other than who pony the Charles up between $7,000 and $25,000 for getG. Koch Charitable Foundation and nonprofting together with sympathetic lawmakers its including the NRA, Goldwater Institute at lavish retreats. and Family Research Council. In all, privateBroken up into task forces focused on sector contributions account for nearly 98 various aspects of public policy—from percent of ALEC’s funding, while the dues education to courts and the environment— paid by member lawmakers, pegged at about ALEC members, both from the public $50, came to just more than $250,000, or and private sectors, get together and write about 1 percent of its haul during the same model bills that are then voted on and, if time period. ratified, carried home by ALEC legislators In exchange for these hefty, though taxfor introduction in their respective states. deductible donations, ALEC’s private-sector The strategy has been successful. ALEC members get to ensure that individual brags on its website that each year, about pieces of ALEC legislation, by and large, 1,000 pieces of ALEC-written or ALECserve a narrow band of very specific corpoinspired model legislation end up getting rate interests: education measures benefit introduced in the states, with an average 20 for-profit education firms and harm unions; percent becoming law. health care measures benefit insurance Despite this, and even though the companies and drug manufacturers; tort organization has been active for nearly 40 reforms benefit corporations in general by years—it was established in 1973 by arch limiting their liability to consumers. conservative Paul Weyrich, who also startMore “insidious,” as Graves put it, is ed the Heritage Foundation—ALEC has ALEC’s drive against voting rights. remained largely under the radar. None“It’s deeply cynical and quite sinister— theless, its impact on policy in the states an outlandish effort by ALEC and others reads like a greatest hits compilation of to make it harder for Americans to vote,” the most controversial bills in recent histoshe said. “At the end of the day, depend-
21.6 million
NAME OF THE GAME
“
T HE RE ’S A W H O L E S E T O F B IL LS T HAT A R E A DVA N C IN G T H AT C O RP O R AT E AG E NDA TO P R IVAT IZ E P RI S O N S , P R IVAT IZ E E D U CAT IO N, A ND BY PRI VATIZ E I M E A N P RO F IT IZ E .”
18 | OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 6, 2012 | BOISEweekly
WWW. B O I S E WE E KLY. C O M