Model Legislation Resolution Calling on States to Defund Acorn, Center for Media and Democracy Alec
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Exposed ALEC EXPOSED Search ABOUT GO MEMBERS By the Center for Media and Democracy www.prwatch.org D I D Y O U K N O W ? Corporations VOTED to adopt this. Through ALEC, global companies LOGIN | LOGOUT | HOME | JOIN ALEC | CONTACT work as “equals” in “unison” with politicians to write laws to govern your life. Big MODEL LEGISLATION TASK FORCES ALEC INITIATIVES PUBLICATIONS Business has “a VOICE and a VOTE,” according to newly exposed documents. DO YOU? EVENTS & MEETINGS “ALEC” has long been a NEWS secretive collaboration between BigLegislation Business and Model “conservative” politicians. Civil Justice Behind closed doors, they Commerce, Insurance, ghostwrite “model” bills to and Economic be introduced in state Development capitols across the country. This agenda--underwritten Education by global corporations-Energy, includes majorEnvironment, tax and Agriculture loopholes for big industries and the superRelations rich, Federal proposals to offshore U.S. Health Human jobs and gut and minimum Services wage, and efforts to weaken public health, International Relations safety, and environmental Public Although Safety andmany protections. Elections of these bills have become law, until their Policy origin Taxnow, and Fiscal has been largely unknown. Telecommunications With ALEC EXPOSED, the and Information CenterTechnology for Media and Democracy hopes more Americans will study the Print this Page bills to understand the depth and Text-Only breadth of how Page big corporations are Email this Page changing the legal rules and undermining democracy across the nation. ALEC’s’Corporate Board --in recent past or present • AT&T Services, Inc. • centerpoint360 • UPS • Bayer Corporation • GlaxoSmithKline • Energy Future Holdings • Johnson & Johnson • Coca-Cola Company • PhRMA • Kraft Foods, Inc. • Coca-Cola Co. • Pfizer Inc. • Reed Elsevier, Inc. • DIAGEO • Peabody Energy • Intuit, Inc. • Koch Industries, Inc. • ExxonMobil • Verizon • Reynolds American Inc. • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. • Salt River Project • Altria Client Services, Inc. • American Bail Coalition • State Farm Insurance For more on these corporations, search at www.SourceWatch.org. Home Model Legislation Public Safety and Elections Did you know the NRA--the National Rifle Association-was the corporate co-chair in Resolution Calling on States to Defund ACORN 2011? WHEREAS, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was founded in 1970 with the mission of increasing voter participation, delivering services to inner-city neighborhoods, community organizing, and carrying out issue campaigns; and WHEREAS, ACORN is an organization guilty of violating numerous laws and aiding and abetting criminal activity; and WHEREAS, in 2003, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that ACORN had illegally suppressed the ability of its employees to organize a union. The NLRB said, “By interrogating employees about their union activities, by informing employees that other employees have been discharged because of the union, by threatening employees that selecting the union to represent them will be futile, and by threatening employees with discharge, respondent has violated section 8(a) of the act;” and WHEREAS, ACORN workers have been convicted of voter registration crimes in the following states: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington; and WHEREAS, on November 14, 2008, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development stopped all contributions to ACORN, citing “[S]erious concerns about national ACORN’s financial accountability, transparency, governance and organizational integrity,” and “reports of ACORN involvement in alleged voter registration fraud and political partisanship.” WHEREAS, ACORN workers were videotaped in Baltimore, New York City, San Diego, San Bernadino, and Washington, D.C. aiding and abetting prostitution, child prostitution, human trafficking, illegal immigration, and tax fraud; and WHEREAS, ACORN workers instructed individuals to falsify tax forms by listing child prostitutes as “dependents;” and WHEREAS, on September 11, 2009, the United States Department of Commerce ended its partnership on the 2010 Census with ACORN, citing a lack of confidence in the organization; and WHEREAS, on September 16, 2009, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs remarked, “The conduct you see on those tapes is completely unacceptable;” and WHEREAS, on September 15, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 83-7 to prohibit federal funds from going to ACORN; and WHEREAS, on September 17, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 34575 to prohibit federal funds from going to ACORN; and WHEREAS, a large portion of ACORN’s funding comes from government grants; and WHEREAS, since 1994 ACORN, has received more than $53 million in government grants; and THEREFORE, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) calls on states to engage the appropriate state auditing authority to audit all grants in order to identify funding for ACORN and groups linked to ACORN. THEREFORE BE IT FURTER RESOLVED, that ALEC calls on all states to immediately end support for ACORN and groups linked to ACORN. About Us and ALEC EXPOSED. The Center for Media and Democracy reports on corporate spin and government About Members Login Logout Events & Meetings propaganda.! We are located in Madison, Wisconsin, and publish www.PRWatch.org, www.SourceWatch.org, Model Legislation Task Forces ALEC Initiatives Publications Home Join ALEC Contact News and now www.ALECexposed.org. For more information contact: editor@prwatch.org or 608-260-9713.