Legislative News ATS give money to SPECIAL Interest Group in AZ lobbying for Corporate Interest, not the PUBLIC!
ATS give money to SPECIAL Interest Group in AZ lobbying for Corporate Interest, not the PUBLIC!
Thanks to www.stpetecameras.org for the link.
http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2011/11/alec-in-arizona-1.html
ALEC in Arizona
by David Safier
ALEC is coming to Phoenix Wednesday, and in honor of the event, People for the American Way and Common Cause put together a very long study, ALEC in Arizona: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests in the Halls of Arizona’s Legislature http://www.pfaw.org/media-center/publications/alec-arizona-the-voice-of-corporate-special-interests-the-halls-of-arizona. From the Media Release introducing the study:
“Working side-by-side with elected officials, ALEC uses its resources to shepherd legislation from the corporate boardroom to the governor’s desk,” said Marge Baker, Executive Vice President at People For the American Way Foundation. There’s no way ordinary citizens can match the level of access and influence that ALEC provides to these corporations, so Arizonians are subjected to laws that serve the interests of the rich and powerful instead of everyday people. The deck is stacked against ordinary Americans and there’s a tremendous amount of work to do to level the playing field.”
“This side-by-side analysis of bills is a stunning look at the vast amount of influence that corporations are having in Arizona public policy,” said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. “These companies are putting their muscle behind legislation in Phoenix and investing millions of dollars to elect and re-elect lawmakers who support it. It’s no wonder Arizonans feel like their voices aren’t being heard.”
Want to know which legislators are ALEC members? "Arizona has one of the highest concentrations of ALEC legislators of any state in the United States," You'll find the names of the 50 members in the study.
Want to know which Arizona-based corporations give money to ALEC and often sit on its boards? Here's the basic list:
- ATS (American Traffic Solutions)
- AAPS (Association of American Physicians and Surgeons)
- Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
- SRP (Salt River Project). This one is especially problematic because one of the two entities making up SRP, The Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, is, according to the document, "a political subdivision of the state of Arizona."
- Taser International
You'll also find 20 Arizona bills which the study says are linked to ALEC. I honestly wish the study had done a better job on this portion. Many of the "links" are a bit of a stretch in my opinion, though there is no question AZ Republicans work with ALEC regularly on legislation. Linkages I created awhile back, using the research done by Lisa Hoffman, are more solid than most in the study. You can find them here http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2011/09/this-week-in-alec-and-the-arizona-legislature.html.
More on activities in Phoenix during the ALEC summit in a later post. Here's an event Wednesday some might want to attend, especially readers in the Phoenix area:
The Arizona AFL-CIO along with many other organizations will be holding a joint press conference regarding ALEC on the lawn of the State Capitol on Wednesday, November 30 starting ay 11:00.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Articles Menu
Find Info
Latest Comments
Member Login
