The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has taken a step that any self-respecting supporter of renewable energy should do – ditched the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This relationship looked a lot like the fabled one between the scorpion and tortoise.Read More >>
Monday, December 3th, Progress Texas will be screening the documentary Koch Brothers Exposed at the Alamo Draft House (South Lamar). Koch Brothers Exposed is a hard-hitting investigation of the 1% at its very worst. This full-length documentary film on Charles and David Koch is the latest from acclaimed director Robert Greenwald.Read More >>
We are pleased to announce that an additional 12 Texas Legislators – 9 Republicans and 3 Democrats – have announced they have left and will no longer be a part of ALEC. These 12 Legislators join 12 others who announced they were leaving in April of 2012, bringing the total number of Texas legislators who have left ALEC to 24 this year alone.Read More >>
Former state Sen. Kyle Janek has been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to head the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. However, his connections to ALEC, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the Health Care Compact Alliance suggests that he will be no friend to Texas’ most vulnerable populations. Read More >>
On May 2, 2012, Raul Rodriguez shot his neighbor, elementary school teacher Kelly Danaher, because the birthday party for Danaher's wife and young daughter was too noisy for his liking. Citing the Castle Doctrine - Texas' version of the Stand Your Ground law - as justification, Rodriguez believed he was acting in "self-defense" when he shot his unarmed neighbor and two other guests. Rather than protecting Texans, is the Castle Doctrine creating an environment where angry neighbors bring a gun to a noise complaint?Read More >>
With the support of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) – which serves as a home away from home for ALEC here in Texas – for-profit education companies are attacking Texas public schools, promoting virtual schools, and putting profits ahead of the education needs of Texas children. These virtual schools are largely unaccountable to Texas taxpayers, despite the fact that their students receive the exact same amount of funding as students who attend traditional public schools...Read More >>
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is in crisis communications mode, and they've managed to bring in the Texas Public Policy Foundation - their home away from home in Texas - to their defense. Read more about the close ties between these two corporate bill factories below.Read More >>
Today, behind closed doors in Charlotte, North Carolina, legislators from 15 states will meet with the oil and gas industry to discuss so-called “model legislation” as part of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The result could be laws that handicap renewable energy targets — while creating loopholes for fossil fuels...Read More >>
Today, Progress Texas is formally launching our campaign to urge Texas legislators to leave ALEC. Last week, we wrote about how corporations have begun to leave ALEC - discovering that it's a toxic, overtly ideological organization they'd rather not be associated with.Read More >>
To date, four major corporate sponsors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have indicated they will not renew their memberships to the controversial conservative organization. The question now is - how long until Texas legislators follow suit? Learn more on our blog...Read More >>
ALEC has pushed the NRA's "Stand Your Ground Law" - also known as the Castle Doctrine Act - to 32 states across the country. After passing in Florida in 2005, ALEC immediately made it one of their model bills. The law made it's way to Texas in 2007, almost identical to ALEC's model bill. Here's how:Read More >>
A New York Times op-ed this morning detailed the extent to which ALEC serves as a hub for corporate interests to promote their well being at the expense of ordinary citizens. The piece relied extensively upon work done by our sister group, ProgressVA, on ALEC's activities in Virginia state politics...Read More >>
Over the last few months, we have blogged about ALEC and their influence on the Texas Legislature. Today, our work has culminated in the first of a series of reports detailing the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on Texas laws and lawmakers. The report explains ALEC’s corporate agenda...Read More >>
