Subject: [big campaign] BREAKING NEWS: Walgreen's & GM drop ALEC // NEW ALEC reports from FL & UT
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:50:56 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

*1)* Walgreen's & GM just became corporations # 29 & 30 to drop ALEC!!! *Please
see below for Color of Change's press release on these latest corporations
to drop their ALEC memberships. *

*2)* Yesterday Alliance for a Better Utah <http://betterutah.org>, Center
for Media and Democracy <http://prwatch.org>, Common Cause
<http://commoncause.org>& People for the American Way
<http://pfaw.org>released a 45 page report detailing the recent
history of ALEC's corruptive
influence in the Utah legislature. *Report: **
http://www.scribd.com/doc/101040862/Utah-ALEC-Report... Please see below
for a sampling of media hits coming out of Utah (where ALEC is currently
holding their annual conference). *

*3)* This morning Progress Florida <http://progressflorida.org/>, Florida
Action Watch <http://floridaactionwatch.org>, People for the American
Way<http://pfaw.org/>
, Center for Media and Democracy <http://prwatch.org/> & Common
Cause<http://commoncause.org/> released
a 50 page report detailing the recent history of ALEC's corruptive
influence in the Utah legislature. Here's the first major news article
coming out of the Sunshine State:

Report: Shadowy corporate group behind many laws passed in
Florida<http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/report-shadowy-corporate-group-behind-many-laws-passed-florida>
Tampa Bay Times/Miami
Herald<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/07/report-claims-florida-lawmakers-do-bidding-of-corporate-funded-alec.html>
Tallahassee
Bureau, Sunshine State
News<http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/feeditem/report-shadowy-corporate-group-behind-many-laws-passed-florida>

*4) *As more corporations (30 as of today), major non-profits (4 so far) &
elected leaders (56 confirmed so far) continue to drop ALEC, you can find
continuously updated info -- and much more -- at www.ALECexposed.org

*Utah*****

·         Lee Davidson, Salt Lake Tribune, “Common Cause criticizes
American Legislative Exchange Council and its impact on public
policy”<http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54558914-90/alec-utah-model-bills.html.csp>
****

·         Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News, “ALEC meeting sparks support from
governor, protests”<http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865559549/ALEC-meeting-sparks-support-from-governor-protests.html?pg=all>
****

·         Robert Gehrke, Salt Lake Tribune, “Conservative group shrugs off
charges of corporate
cronyism”<http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54560661-90/alec-group-corporate-legislators.html.csp>
****

·         Letter to the editors of the Salt Lake Tribune, “Pre-fab
bills”<http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/54541221-82/legislation-utah-alec-agenda.html.csp>
****

·         Robert Gehrke, Salt Lake Tribune’s Political Cornflakes Blog, “Geese
and Ganders”<http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsoutofcontext/54560526-64/alliance-990-doesn-alec.html.csp>
****

·         Max Roth, Fox 13 Salt Lake City, “ALEC under
fire”<http://fox13now.com/2012/07/25/alec-under-fire/>
****

·         John Daley, KSL News, “Groups disagree over power ALEC hold with
state lawmakers” <http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=21414985>****

·         Eric Peterson, City Weekly, “Anti-ALEC Protest and Rally for
Public Education
Thursday”<http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-25-8024-anti-alec-protest-and-rally-for-public-education-thursday.html>
****

·         Jessica Gail, KCPW, “ALEC names Utah #1 for Economic Outlook Five
Years Running”<http://kcpw.org/blog/local-news/2012-07-25/alec-names-utah-1-for-economic-outlook-five-years-running/>
****

·         Glen Warchol, Salt Lake Magazine, “David calls out
Goliath”<http://saltlakemagazine.com/blog/2012/07/smart-alecs-unite/>
*
*
*Florida*

**

*FOR RELEASE*
July 26, 2012, 10:30AM****

Contact: Damien Filer
850-212-1858
[email-masked]****
Report: American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Exerts Unprecedented
Influence Over Florida*****New report exposes right-wing corporate front
group as ALEC secretly plots agenda at national meetings in Salt Lake City**
***

*TALLAHASSEE *– Progress Florida, Florida Watch Action, People for the
American Way Foundation, Common Cause and ALEC Exposed released a new
report<http://progressflorida.pnstate.org/site/R?i=Ty7mcuWZHsmQb4EvVhwtrQ>
detailing
the influence the corporate front group ALEC has over Florida’s policy
makers. The report, entitled *ALEC in Florida*, documents the growing
footprint that ALEC has in Florida, including its unprecedented access to
elected officials and the drafting of ‘model’ legislation which compliant
lawmakers then push into law. The release of the report coincided with
ALEC’s 39th annual meeting being held in Salt Lake City.****

Among the report’s key findings:****

   - ALEC has a strong and growing presence in Florida. Out of Florida’s
   160 state legislators, 60 have had ties with ALEC since 2010. Florida
   lawmakers’ attendance at ALEC’s 2011 annual conference held in New Orleans
   was “one of the strongest delegations in years.”****

   - ALEC model bills introduced across the country have devastating
   impacts upon public education, consumer protections, environmental
   protections, workers’ rights, equitable healthcare systems, just tax
   policy, and voting rights.****

   - ALEC’s corporate-funded scholarship fund contained, as of January 1,
   2011, $46,467. This fund is used to sponsor ALEC members to attend ALEC
   conferences, and is also spent – as documented in the report – to wine and
   dine ALEC Florida members alongside corporate lobbyists. Corporations’
   expenditures for the fund can be written off as 501(c)(3) charitable
   donations on their tax returns.****
   - ALEC provides Florida members with “issue alerts,” “talking points,”
   and “press release templates” expressing support or opposition to state
   legislation, despite its claims that “ALEC does not lobby in any state.”
   The organization also tracks the status of its model bills in legislatures
   and bills it does not like, and sends its employees to testify in support
   of its bills in state houses across the country. ALEC model legislation has
   been introduced in Florida’s legislature, at times word for word, with
   devastating results. Last year, ALEC member Rep. Rachel Burgin (R-56) made
   an embarrassing and revealing mistake when she introduced HM 685 – she
   forgot to remove ALEC’s insignia on the bill, leaving the ALEC’s footprint
   fully intact.****

   - After Florida lawmakers passed the NRA-sponsored Stand Your Ground law
   in 2005, ALEC took it and ran with it. The dangerous law was made notorious
   in Florida by the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Today, due to the
   influence of ALEC and the gun lobby, Stand Your Ground laws are on the
   books in 32 states.****

   - In response to ALEC’s extreme agenda, 26 for-profit corporations –
   including Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Kraft – four non-profit groups and over
   50 lawmakers have dropped ALEC in recent months. This report concludes that
   Florida-based corporations and Florida ALEC members should do the same.**
   **

“ALEC and its members have supported and pushed some of Florida’s most
devastating legislation,” said Damien Filer, Progress Florida political
director. “Despite claims to the contrary, ALEC’s agenda is not based upon
ideology, but rather upon pecuniary rewards for its corporate funders.”****

“The resulting ALEC “model bills” that have been adopted by ALEC “task
forces” have been introduced in Florida by ALEC representatives and have
amended Florida statutes for the worse, harming everyday citizens in the
process,” concluded Filer.****

*Report: **http://media.progressflorida.org/files/alecinflorida.pdf<http://progressflorida.pnstate.org/site/R?i=BiyprRGqQFGfp2K7_Kyrag>
*****

# # #
*
*
*GM & Walgreens*

http://www.colorofchange.org/press/releases/2012/7/26/colorofchange-applauds-walgreens-and-general-motor/

ColorOfChange Applauds Walgreens' and General Motors' Decisions to End
their Membership in ALEC30 Companies Have Left the American Legislative
Exchange Council, Announcement Comes During Group's Annual Meeting in Utah;
Civil Rights Organization Now Calls on Online Retailer eBay to Drop ALECJuly
26, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Timothy Rusch: (917) 399-0236, [email-masked]
Rachel Tardiff: (202) 746-1407, [email-masked]

General Motors Company, the world's largest automaker, has ended its
relationship with the American Legislative Council (ALEC). Walgreens, the
country's largest drug retailing chain, has also parted ways with the
right-wing policy group.

ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson announced the campaign
victories today at a press conference in Salt Lake City organized by
Alliance for a Better Utah. The media event was timed to ALEC's annual
meeting, which is in progress there. Robinson also announced that
ColorOfChange and allied organizations have begun asking members to call
the online shopping and auction site eBay and urge the company to terminate
its relationship with ALEC. eBay competitor Amazon made the announcement
that it had dropped ALEC during the company's shareholder meeting in May.

ColorOfChange and CREDO Action members began calling Walgreens' corporate
offices last week to express concern about the company's relationship with
ALEC. On Tuesday, Debbie Garza, Walgreens' divisional vice president of
government relations, told ColorOfChange that Walgreens will not renew its
membership. Garza emailed ColorOfChange the following statement:

Walgreens will not be renewing its membership in the American Legislative
Exchange Council (“ALEC”) where we have participated on ALEC’s Health and
Human Services Task Force. Walgreens will continue to be an active presence
on critical health care and pharmacy issues facing the country and looks
forward to continuing to work across the political spectrum in the public
policy arena.

On Monday, Bryan Roosa, General Motors' regional director of state
government relations, told a ColorOfChange staffer via email that, "GM has
communicated to ALEC that we will no longer fund nor participate going
forward."

"Walgreens' and GM's recent announcements that they have cut ties with ALEC
is further proof that everyday people working together to hold corporations
accountable can achieve tremendous change," said ColorOfChange.org
Executive Director Rashad Robinson. "The ColorOfChange community applauds
these companies' willingness to end their relationships with this
right-wing policy group that has worked to suppress the Black vote."

"CREDO Action members believe strongly in the rights of all eligible voters
to cast a ballot that counts," said Becky Bond, Political Director of CREDO
Action. "That's why nearly 600 CREDO members who are also Walgreens
customers hit the phones to tell the company that it is unacceptable to
support voter suppression. We applaud Walgreens for doing the right thing
for its customers and our country."

Walgreens and General Motors are the 29th and 30th corporations to announce
that they have dropped ALEC. The companies join CVS Caremark, Best Buy,
MillerCoors, John Deere, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Johnson & Johnson,
Wal-Mart, Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Yum! Brands, 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), Kaplan, Scantron, Medtronic, American Traffic
Solutions, Arizona Public Service, Express Scripts/Medco, EnergySolutions,
and Connections Education.

"ColorOfChange commends those corporations that have done the right thing
and withdrawn their funding from ALEC, which continues to defend its push
to enact discriminatory voter ID laws across the nation," Robinson said.
"More and more companies are getting the message that they cannot in good
conscience market products to our communities while handing over customers'
dollars to an organization that suppresses the rights and endangers the
safety of people of color."

ColorOfChange has worked in collaboration with the Center for Media and
Democracy (CMD), which launched ALECexposed.org last summer to highlight
the corporations and politicians that vote on ALEC "model" bills. CMD has
also documented ALEC's role in pushing controversial Stand Your Ground and
discriminatory voter ID laws. Other allied organizations include Common
Cause, ProgressNow, People For the American Way, SumOfUs.org and the
Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

ColorOfChange members signed a petition targeting ALEC’s corporate partners
for their role in suppressing Black votes. The petition can be found here:
http://www.colorofchange.org/campaign/alec/.

# # #

With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest
Black online civil rights organization

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

CA: Courage Campaign
CO: ProgressNow Colorado
FL: Progress Florida
GA: Better Georgia
IA: Progress Iowa
MA: ProgressMass
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MN: Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM)
MO: Progress Missouri
NC: Progress North Carolina
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UT: Alliance for a Better Utah
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WI: One Wisconsin Now (OWN)

Twitter: @ProgressNow
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www.ProgressNow.org

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