Read without ads and support Scribd by becoming a Scribd Premium Reader.
See Premium Plans
 
e Corporate Special Interests
at Help Write Ohio’s Laws
IN
 OHIO
 
2
C
ONTENTS
KeyFindings
................................................................................................................................................................................3
WhatisALEC?
.............................................................................................................................................................................5
CorporateMoney
.......................................................................................................................................................................6
ScholarshipFund.....................................................................................................................................................................6
ALEC’sOhioAfter-Party ..........................................................................................................................................................9
OtherCorporationswithOhioandALECTies .......................................................................................................................10
GovernorJohnKasichandALEC
...............................................................................................................................................10
OhioLegislatorsandALEC
........................................................................................................................................................11
Rep.JohnAdams...................................................................................................................................................................11
OtherOhioLegislators ..........................................................................................................................................................12
TaskForceMembers.............................................................................................................................................................13
ALEC’sInfluenceonOhioLaw
..................................................................................................................................................14
2011LegislativeImpact.........................................................................................................................................................14
ALECInspiredLegislationinOhio
.............................................................................................................................................14
Education..............................................................................................................................................................................14
OhioLegislation: ...............................................................................................................................................................14
OhioLegislation:S.B.88....................................................................................................................................................22
VoterID.................................................................................................................................................................................24
OhioLegislation: ...............................................................................................................................................................24
Immigration ..........................................................................................................................................................................28
OhioLegislation:H.B.286.................................................................................................................................................28
Labor.....................................................................................................................................................................................35
OhioLegislation:S.B.5......................................................................................................................................................35
OhioLegislation:S.B.89....................................................................................................................................................39
ConsumerRights...................................................................................................................................................................41
OhioLegislation:H.B.275.................................................................................................................................................42
Healthcare.............................................................................................................................................................................44
OhioLegislation:HealthCareAmendment,Issue3..........................................................................................................45
PrisonPrivatization...............................................................................................................................................................46
OhioLegislation:HB153–PrivatePrisons .......................................................................................................................46
Endnotes...................................................................................................................................................................................49
 
3
K
EY
F
INDINGS
TheAmericanLegislativeExchangeCouncil,orALEC,servesasavoiceforcorporatespecialinterestsinstatelegislaturesacrossthecountry.Corporateexecutives,lawyers,orlobbyistswhoareALECmembersvotebehindcloseddoorswithALEClegislatorstoapprove“model”legislationdesignedtopromotecorporateinterests.Then,ALEClegislatorspushforthoseALECbillstobecomelawwithoutanydisclosureoftherolecorporationsplayedinwritingorpre-votingonthebills.OhiohasahighconcentrationofALEClegislators–about43%ofOhio’scurrentlegislatorsareALECmembers.Closeanalysisoflegislative,financialandotherrecordsrevealthatALEChashadamajorimpactonthegovernanceofOhio.ThisreportexaminestheinfluenceofALECcorporationsoverOhio’slegislativeproposalsthroughoutawiderangeofissues,includingeducation,votersuppression,immigration,worker’srights,consumerrights,healthcareandprisonsystems.
AremarkablenumberofALECproposalshavemadeitintoOhiolawin2011.
BetweenJanuaryandOctoberof2011,
33billswereintroducedintheOhiolegislaturethatareidenticaltoorcontainelementsfrom64differentALEC“model”proposals
.Nineofthosebills,containingelementsfrom33piecesofALEClegislation,havebeensignedintolaw.
ALECcorporationsandlobbyistshavegivenprolificallytoOhiolegislators,bothdirectlyandindirectly.
Inthepasttenyears,employeesofthe
22corporations
onALEC’sPrivateEnterpriseBoardhavespent
$9.3milliononstatepoliticalcampaignsinOhio
,
1
anamountthatdoesnotincludethemanyotherALECmembercorporationsthatunderwriteALEC’soperationsbutdonothaveaseatonthecorporateboard.LocallobbyistsandglobalcorporationshavemadesecretcontributionstoanOhio“scholarshipfund”thatfunnelsmoneythroughALEC,anon-profitgroup,tobeusedtorewardlegislatorswithtripstoattendALECmeetingsatposhresorts.ThecorporateandlobbyistmoneyheldbyALECisusedtoreimburselegislatorsandtheirfamiliesfortheirlodgingandotherfoodandtravelexpensesforconferencesinplaceslikeNewOrleansandSanDiego,wherethepoliticiansarewinedanddinedbylobbyistsviaALEC.ThisisinadditiontothethousandsofdollarscorporatememberspayinALECduesandfeestositonALEC“taskforces,”aswellasotherspendingsuchasunderwritingtheconventionsorhostingdinnersatALECconferencesforOhiolegislatorsandtheirspouses.
Gov.JohnKasichhasdownplayedhisclosetiestoALEC.
ALEC’sinternaltalkingpointspraise
GovernorJohnKasich
assomeonewho“
helpedmoldALECinitsformativeyears
.”Kasich
servedasLegislativeAidetoALEC’slongestservingNationalChairman
,formerStateSenatorDonald‘Buz’Lukens.WhileKasich’sofficehassoughttodistancehimfromtheorganizationbysayingheisnotan“active”member(sinceheisnotalegislator),
KasichwasphotographedlastyearattendinganALECevent
andspeakingwithlobbyists.InadditiontosigningALECmodelbillsintolaw,hehas
put
forwardmajorproposalsthatsharetitles
,
messagingstrategies,andpolicyelementswithALECmodellegislation
.
StateRep.JohnAdamsisdeeplyinvolvedwithALECandhaswrittenethicallyquestionableletterswhileadvancingALEC’sagenda.
ThemanchargedwithmanagingtheRepublicanlegislativeagendaontheOhioHousefloor,MajorityWhipJohnAdams,isdeeplyinvolvedwithALEC,
andwasnamed
2010ALECState“LegislatoroftheYear.”
Unlikesomepoliticians,Adamsdoescreditthegroupwithinfluencinghislegislativeproposals,suchashis$12billionplantoeliminateOhio’sincometax.Hehas
Search
Search History:
Searching...
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
  • p.
    • Notes
    Load more