It is impossible to pin down how much money the lobbyists paid for meals and drinks for each individual legislator. Missouri Ethics Commission documents show most of the money was listed as being for the entire Missouri General Assembly.
The documents confirm the presence of 15 Republicans and one Democrat, including four from Southwest Missouri- Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, Rep. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, and Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa.
Others attending were senators Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, and Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, and representatives Dan Stacy, R-Blue Springs; Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville; Nick Schroer, R-O'Fallon; Mark Matthieson, R-Maryland Heights; Donna Lichtenegger, R-Jackson; Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis; Jason Chipman, R-Steelville; Phillip Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, and Joe Adams, D-University City.
Legislators pay for the conference up front and then are reimbursed by ALEC's donors, which include many of the largest corporations and conservative special interests in the United States. The companies have also paid into a fund that ALEC uses to pay for legislators to travel to the conferences.
At the conventions, the special interests receive unfettered access to the legislators and ALEC provides legislators with ready-made bills to submit as their own. Some of these past have included Stand Your Ground bills. bills designed to weaken environmental laws, bills that weaken protections for average citizens, bills encouraging the privatization of education and punishing classroom teachers and so-called right to work laws, all of which have been submitted in the Missouri Legislature, often without changing any of ALEC's original wording.
The presence of many of Missouri8's legislators at this year's event might have remained unknown if one lobbyist, Julie Townsend, representing payday loan king Advance America, had not listed $4.71 for meals, food, and beverage at ALEC's Missouri Night activity and then later amended it to attribute the amounts for each legislator to the entire General Assembly.
Among the lobbyists who made the trip to Denver with the Show-Me State legislators were the following:
Alex Eaton- Catalyst Group
Julian Malosi- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
John R. Sondag- AT&T
Melissa Freeman- Cerner Corporation
Deanna Hemphill- Gateway Group
Steven Carroll- everything listed for Steven R. Carroll and Associates, his lobbying firm
Scott Brown- Alkermes
Andrew Blunt- Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association
Craig Mischo- Bayer
Among the speakers at this year's convention;
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
Forbes Magazine CEO Steven Forbes
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
(More to come)
MAGA!
ReplyDeleteReichwinger stink tanks funding one corporate wh*re junket after another.
You have to be kidding me that these persons and most other of our legislators in all the states have the gall to attend these "conventions" and then come back with all the wonderful things to screw their citizens who pay their salary. This is nothing but thumbing their nose at us and show complete lack of moral fiber and conscience about what is doing right and what is padding their own pocket. ALEC is one of the worse to take over our rights and Koch Bros. is their poster children for this group. Billionaires with nothing else to do but make more money ruining the environment, worker health and the health of the community they invade. Sad day for the uninformed electorate.
ReplyDeleteBootlickers dine and drink well!
ReplyDeleteMAGA!