FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 13, 2012
Contact: Zack Pohl, (517) 980-6190, zack@progressmichigan.org
Meanwhile, corporate backers flee controversial front group in droves
LANSING – Facing a firestorm of controversy, several corporations have fled the American Legislative Exchange Council in recent days. Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Intuit, Kraft Foods, Mars, and the Arizona Public Service Company have all determined that membership in the corporate front group and bill factory is no longer good for business. This week, ALEC also released a report entitled“Rich States, Poor States,” in which they ranked Michigan highly according to their anti-middle class priorities, praising the Republican agenda as proof that Michigan is “open for business.”
“With their big corporate backers in full retreat, it’s clear that ALEC is desperate to change the subject,” said Zack Pohl, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. “The people of Michigan deserve to know who’s writing our laws. It’s time for Lansing politicians to cut ties with this controversial group and reject their anti-middle class agenda once and for all. We need an economy that works for everyone, not just ALEC’s big corporate backers.”
In a letter to the Detroit News yesterday, ALEC’s Director of Communications tied the Snyder Administration’s policies directly to ALEC’s goals, even saying that promoting the agenda adopted by Rick Snyder and Lansing Republicans “is precisely why ALEC exists.”
ALEC’s “Rich States, Poor States” report is riddled with inconsistencies and methodological errors. For example:
- ALEC lionizes Texas’ economic policies, encouraging states to “be more like Texas.” The report fails to note that from 2007-2011, 100% of Texas’ job growth was in the public sector, with the private sector shrinking. This evidence contradicts ALEC’s claim that Texas’ economic policies are spurring private sector growth.
- ALEC’s measures are contradictory. “Rich States, Poor States” celebrates Nevada’s population growth and attributes it to a low income tax and right-to-work status. However, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, Nevada had the country’s highest unemployment rate in 2011.
- In a massive methodological oversight, ALEC emphasizes population growth as an indication of economic success while failing to control for factors that affect migration patterns, including weather and cost of living, making any corollaries drawn between population growth and economic policies useless.
- “Rich States, Poor States” makes no effort to evaluate the quality of a state’s public services. While good schools, adequate police protection, and an efficient transportation network are universally acknowledged as key factors in determining a desirable place to live, none of these items is considered to make a state more or less competitive according to ALEC.
Last year, Progress Michigan released a report on the pervasive influence of ALEC in the Michigan Legislature, noting several lawmakers who used taxpayer funds to pay their ALEC dues. Current and former Michigan lawmakers who have participated in ALEC include:
Michigan House of Representatives
- Rep. Dave Agema (R-74) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2008. Sponsored House Bill 4305 (2011). Compare to ALEC’s model “No Sanctuary Cities for Illegal Immigrants Act.”
- Rep. Judson Gilbert (R-81) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 while a state senator.
- Rep. Gail Haines (R-43) – Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force.
- Rep. Ken Horn (R-94) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2011.
- Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-44) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2011.
- Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R-58) – Health and Human Services Task Force.
- Rep. Matthew Lori (R-59) – Health and Human Services Task Force.
- Rep. Pete Lund (R-36) – Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force.
- Rep. Tom McMillin – sponsored House Bill 4050 (2011) and House Bill 4453 (2011). Compare to ALEC’s model “Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act”and “Competitive Contracting of Public Services Act.”
- Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-80) – Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.
- Rep. Amanda Price (R-89) – Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force.
- Rep. Mike Shirkey – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2011.
Michigan Senate
- Former Sen. Jason Allen (R-37) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2006. Former ALEC State Chairman for Michigan. Currently is the Senior Deputy Director for Veterans Affairs at the Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs.
- Former Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-24) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005. Currently is the director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes.
- Sen. Darwin Booher (R-35) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 while a state representative.
- Sen. Bruce Caswell (R-16) – Health and Human Services Task Force.
- Sen. Mike Green (R-31) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2011.
- Sen. Goeff Hansen (R-34) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 while a state representative.
- Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R-29) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005, 2007 and 2009 while a state representative, and in 2011 while a state senator.
- Sen. Rick Jones (R-24) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 while a state representative.
- Sen. Mike Kowall (R-15) – paid ALEC membership dues with taxpayer funds in 2009 while a state representative, and in 2011 while a state senator.
- Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R-30) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2009 while a state representative.
- Sen. John Moolenar (R-36) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005 and 2007 while a state representative.
- Sen. Mike Nofs (R-19) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2008 while a state representative.
- Sen. David Robertson (R-26) – paid ALEC dues with taxpayer funds in 2005.
- Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-20) – ALEC State Chairman for Michigan, Civil Justice Task Force.
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