Mark FerruloAcross the nation, people are becoming increasingly concerned about corporate influence over lawmaking.
Nowhere is that concern more justified than in Florida, where a shadowy front group for powerful corporations called ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, works hand in hand with dues-paying state legislators to push an extremist agenda that puts the interest of out-of-state corporations ahead of everyday Floridians.
Last month, The Guardian newspaper brought to light internal ALEC documents that illustrate just how far ALEC is willing to go to maintain and increase their grip on state legislatures across the country, including Florida’s.
Among the newly disclosed memos was a proposed ALEC loyalty oath that, if adopted, would have asked legislators who are also ALEC state directors to swear: “I will act with care and loyalty and put the interests of the organization first.”
If a proposal to ask elected officials to swear to put the interests of ALEC sponsors such as AT&T, ExxonMobil and Pfizer ahead of their constituents isn’t an abhorrent corporate subjugation of democracy, what is?
Loyalty oath or not, it’s clear that many Florida legislators are marching in lock step to orders emanating from ALEC meetings. At these closed door meetings, corporate members of ALEC hand legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line, often at the expense of the public interest. Corporations sit on all ALEC task forces and vote with many of our legislators as equals to approve “model” bills.
For many years ALEC did its dirty work in virtual anonymity but after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, the group was thrust into the spotlight when it was revealed it had taken Florida’s “shoot first” law and used it as model legislation across the country.
These latest revelations, including a newly launched effort by ALEC to undermine solar energy expansion, come on the heels of a series of reports by Progress Florida and the Center for Media and Democracy on the undue influence ALEC holds over Florida legislators. These reports document how ALEC-promoted legislation is having devastating consequences for our state on a broad range of issues.
ALEC’s members in the Legislature are blocking health care expansion to low-income working families despite Florida having the second highest percentage of uninsured among all states. ALEC’s polluter-driven agenda ignores scientific facts about climate change and sea level rise despite scientific predictions that South Florida will be among the first major population centers devastated by rising sea levels.
Then there are ALEC’s efforts to undermine our neighborhood public schools by re-routing taxs to for-profit charter and private school companies. Additional attacks on Florida’s middle class by ALEC include efforts to block minimum wage increases and a successful effort to deny critical employment benefits such as earned sick time.
For years, many Florida lawmakers have eagerly done ALEC’s bidding even when it is against the best interests of the constituents they are supposed to represent. It’s time Floridians demand that our elected leaders end the undue influence ALEC holds over public policy making.
It’s time those Florida legislators who remain dues-paying members of ALEC end their relationship to this secretive front-group. It’s time to stand up to ALEC.
