Progress Missouri to release report on ALEC

I have been writing for several years about the pernicious influence of the radical right wing American Legislative Exchange Council on Missouri politics, but I doubt that all of my stories put together will come anywhere near to the report Progress Missouri is releasing on ALEC on Monday. The news release is printed below:

Progress Missouri will release a detailed research report on Monday, April 16 at 2pm in Jefferson City exposing the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in creating our laws. The research report will show the effect of ALEC -- which allows large corporations to write big-business friendly bills and helps legislators advance this legislation on the state level -- on Missouri’s political system. Numerous bills introduced in the General Assembly are directly traceable to ALEC and thousands of dollars of taxpayer money have been spent sending legislators to ALEC junkets.

• What: Unveiling of research report exposing ALEC’s influence on Missouri laws
• When: Monday, April 16 at 2 p.m.
• Where: State Capitol, Hearing Room 6
• Who: Sean Soendker Nicholson of Progress Missouri; Former Representative Bob Quinn; Charlie Elrod, union laborer; Carol Weatherford, retired teacher

To date, at least seven major corporate sponsors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have indicated they will not renew their memberships to the controversial conservative organization. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mars, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Wendy's and Intuit have announced in recent days that they are ending their ALEC memberships amid mounting criticism over ALEC's backing of voter suppression and "Stand Your Ground" gun laws, which have been implicated in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

Progress Missouri is urging legislators to terminate their ALEC affiliations as well. Known ALEC members and supporters in the Missouri Capitol have included: Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones, State Co-Chairman; Rep. Jason Smith, State Co-Chairman; Sen. Jane Cunningham, who has served as a national ALEC board member; Lt. Governor Peter Kinder; Senator and Former Speaker Ron Richard; Rep. Shane Schoeller; and too many others. 

Rep. Mike Colona announced this week that he was ending his relationship with ALEC. ALEC “is not the innocuous, bipartisan organization it purports to be,” he said. “Their agenda is radical and wrong for Missouri. I was a member and saw firsthand the sort of extreme legislation they push on state legislators around the country. I disagree with ALEC's extremist agenda and encourage my colleagues in the Missouri General Assembly to end their affiliations with the group.”