ALEC

A Common Cause Background Memo

Prodded by Common Cause and other democracy reform advocates, state legislators across the country are rejecting a dangerous scheme to convene a constitutional convention and potentially overhaul the nation’s founding document.

A not-so-funny thing happened to Colorado State Rep. Lori Saine late Tuesday as she prepared to fly from Denver to the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Nashville.

The American people do not expect that their charitable contributions will be used for partisan political ends. The tax bill amendment offered by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and passed on a party-line vote expands the bill’s previous rollback of the Johnson Amendment – buried more than 400 pages into the legislation – to now allow all charities to enter partisan politics, including well-funded front groups like the American Legislative Exchange Commission (ALEC). This takes the bill beyond just a massive giveaway to the nation’s billionaire class to now allow wealthy special interests to manipulate the charitable sector for partisan political ends, all with a subsidy from American taxpayers.

We urge representatives Combee and La Rosa to be transparent and accountable with their participation in ALEC.

Today, Common Cause Florida sent a letter to Rep. Neil Combee and Rep. Mike La Rosa, urging them to disclose which legislators will be attending the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and who is paying their way.