14 Oregon House Reps are ALEC Members

ALEC has boasted that about 17% of its bills are passed each year.

Aerial view photo of the Oregon State Capitol by Tim King Salem-News.com

(PORTLAND, OR) - Washington D.C.-based ALEC—the American Legislative Exchange Council, has just been charged in a Whistleblower complaint to the IRS by the nonpartisan advocacy group Common Cause for “misuse of charity laws, massive under reporting of lobbying, and obtaining improper tax breaks for corporate funders at taxpayer expense.”

As of last year, ALEC was funded by over 200 corporations contributing millions of dollars annually, and included almost 2000 state legislators as paid members. As identified in a Common Cause Oregon report, American Legislative Exchange Council in Oregon: Campaign Contributions and Legislators, fourteen Oregon legislators, all Republicans, are ALEC members. The following list of names, together with their positions at ALEC, is linked from Sourcewatch.org. All are members of the Oregon House. Those in bold have Democratic opposition in the upcoming election.

House of Representatives

§ Rep. John Huffman (R-59)

§ Rep. Gene Whisnant (R-53), State Chairman, International Relations Task Force member and 2011 ALEC State Legislator of the Year

§ Rep. Matt Wingard (R-26)

§ Rep. Tim Freeman (R-2), ALEC Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Member

§ Rep. Katie Eyre (Brewer) (R-29), ALEC International Relations Task Force Member

§ Rep. Shawn Lindsay (R-30), ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force Member

§ Rep. Mike McLane (R-55), ALEC Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force Member

§ Rep. Jason Conger (R-54), ALEC Civil Justice Task Force Member

§ Rep. Matt Wand (R-49), ALEC Civil Justice Task Force Member

§ Rep. Wally Hicks (R-3), ALEC Civil Justice Task Force Member

§ Rep. Sal Esquivel (R-6)

§ Rep. Bill Kennemer (R-39)

§ Rep. Bruce Hanna (R-7)

§ Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-25)

According to the New York Times, ALEC’s main work is (1) write about a thousand of its own “model” pro-corporate bills annually; (2) track legislation—especially revenue bills—in all 50 states; and to (3) flag progressive bills for opposition by conservative lawmakers. ALEC bills are distributed nationally, but under the guise that they have originated locally in the various state legislatures. ALEC has boasted that about 17% of its bills are passed each year. For much more information in detail, please also visit ALEC Exposed.org.

We will bring you updates about ALEC, including a list of its bills recently introduced by Oregon legislators, and would love your help in watching for ALEC bills in the 2013 legislature. To date, most ALEC success in Oregon has been in privatizing education.

Want to work on a campaign? The races are on for those legislators above who are in bold.

Tax Fairness Oregon

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