From PR Watch: The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will gather state legislators and corporate interests this week in Washington, DC, to craft a corporate-friendly legislative agenda for the coming year. Below we address some common spin from ALEC and its supporters so reporters and citizens don't get fooled.
MYTH: ALEC is "Transparent"
ALEC claims it has made “great strides” in the realm of transparency. — John Piscopo (R-CT), ALEC National Chair and a Connecticut state legislator, The Hill, Nov. 1, 2013.
FACT: ALEC Goes to Great Lengths to Hide its Activities and Funders
ALEC has gone to great lengths to hide its activities and corporate funders and authors of bills it wants legislators to introduce. This year, ALEC began stamping the materials it gives to legislators with a “disclaimer” asserting that the documents are not subject to any state’s open records/freedom of information laws, despite the laws in many states that have long required lawmakers to disclose communications from outside groups and constituents.
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