Far-right House Republicans and related groups have some pretty tall demands for approving a stopgap budget bill and averting a government shutdown. There’s only one catch: Their demands have nothing to do with the federal budget.
Tobacco Giant Altria Buys Access to ALEC Lawmakers, Urges Deregulation
Big tobacco had a big presence at last month’s 50th annual ALEC meeting: tobacco giant Altria bought access for two lobbyists to speak directly to state lawmakers – at least half a dozen of whom serve on their state’s health policy committees – during ALEC task force meetings in Orlando.
Nearly 500 ALEC Lawmakers Have Voted to Ban Abortion
One of every three state lawmakers working to further restrict abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year is affiliated with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) reveals.
ALEC Feeds Lawmakers a Steady Diet of Anti-Abortion Arguments
The pamphlets, handbills, and brochures were unanimous: though ending the constitutional right to abortion was a long-awaited victory, there was still plenty of work to be done. That is where ALEC lawmakers could step in.
ALEC Plots Post-Dobbs Strategy at 50th Annual Meeting
At ALEC’s 50th annual meeting in Orlando this week, outlawing abortion is clearly on the docket.
Leading Anti-ESG Lobbyists Represent Firearms and Fossil Fuel Industries
Representatives from the firearms industry and free-market think tanks are criss-crossing the country advocating for legislation that severely curtails—and often outright prohibits—state governments from considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making decisions about investments and contracts.
House Republicans Grease Dark Money Wheels in “Election Integrity” Bill
Buried in the 200-plus page bill known as the ACE Act are provisions that would gut donor disclosure requirements and allow nonprofits to circumvent certain campaign finance regulations, paving the way for an even larger deluge of dark money in politics under the aegis of protecting the political speech of conservative donors and corporations from government overreach.
House GOP Joins the War on ESG, Brought to You by Big Oil
New research reveals that both House Republicans and the witnesses they’ve called to kick off “ESG month”—a series of GOP-led hearings in July intent on preventing companies from responding to the climate crisis—have deep financial ties to the fossil fuel industry.
ALEC State Lawmakers Lead Campaign to Conceal Conservative Donors
Seventeen states have enacted broad anti-disclosure laws since 2018 that will further conceal the influence of dark money in politics based on model language first developed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Walmart Heirs, Freedom Foundation Behind Latest Attack on Arkansas Teachers
With very little fanfare, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a host of new legislation in April—including SB 473, a bill that prohibits union dues from being automatically deducted from public school teachers’ salaries.