press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News from Progress Michigan

July 28, 2021

Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org 

Michiganders Deserve Answers from GOP Lawmakers Who Allegedly Got ALEC Support

Progress Michigan demands Republicans come clean about their shady relationship with right-wing lobby network

MICHIGAN – After news broke that Michigan Republican lawmakers allegedly received illegal campaign contributions from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing bill mill, Progress Michigan is demanding answers and appropriate sanctions under Michigan campaign finance laws.

“Michigan voters deserve to know if their elected officials are getting illegal support from corporate think tanks like ALEC,” said Sam Inglot, deputy director of Progress Michigan. “Every Michigan voter should be concerned about the possibility of Republican lawmakers doing backdoor deals with ALEC, the same right-wing group that is tied to the anti-voter bill package Republicans introduced earlier this year.” 

According to the Michigan Advance, ALEC, a right-wing network that seeks to pass corporate-sponsored legislation in state governments across the country, “allegedly provided Reps. Matt Hall (R-Marshall) and Jim Lilly (R-Park Twp.) with free voter management and campaign software worth thousands of dollars during the 2020 election cycle, violating federal law prohibiting nonprofits from engaging in electoral activity, according to the unfiled complaint.”

“At minimum, Michiganders should demand some kind of investigation into these troubling allegations,” Inglot continued. “Were Reps. Hall and Lilly the only members who took these illegal contributions? Did lawmakers use the software provided for their campaigns knowing it was not allowed? The people deserve answers to these questions.”

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