Press Releases

Remembering Common Cause President Bob Edgar

CONTACT: Nikolina Lazic, nikolina@prwatch.org

Statement from Lisa Graves, Executive Director, Center for Media and Democracy

It is with enormous sadness that we learned about the passing earlier today of Common Cause President Bob Edgar. The Center for Media and Democracy has been honored to work with Bob over the past few years, and in particular we have appreciated his energy in our joint efforts to expose the American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC Corporate Bill Mill Posts (Some) Model Bills Online for First Time; Watchdogs Say Move Falls Far Short on Transparency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2013

CONTACT: Brendan Fischer, brendan@prwatch.org

A two-year campaign by a coalition of public interest groups has pushed the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to release hundreds of pieces of "model" state legislation secretly developed and pushed into law by corporate interests. The coalition includes the Center for Media and Democracy, ColorOfChange, Common Cause, Greenpeace, People For the American Way, Progress Now, Voters Legislative Transparency Project, and a variety of labor organizations.

CMD and Allies Applaud Re-Launch of ‘Declaration For Democracy’ Campaign to Overturn Citizens United

Contact: Nikolina Lazic, nikolina@prwatch.org

2,000 Public Officials Have Already Expressed Support for Constitutional Amendment

WASHINGTON – This week The Center for Media & Democracy and ally organizations applauded the re-launch of the "Declaration For Democracy" campaign. Public officials signing the declaration are proclaiming their support for amending the constitution to limit the influence of money in our democracy and to restore the rights of the American people in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC.

Press Advisory: Exposing ALEC’s Economic Agenda in the States

Washington— On Wednesday, February 13, 2013, the Economic Policy Institute will host a media conference call on the economic policy agenda promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—an agenda that would weaken state economies, harm working families and put the interests of corporations and the most affluent households before the common good.

“Elections Confidential” Report Reveals Role of Dark Money Nonprofits and Shell Corporations in 2012

CONTACTS: Brendan Fischer, brendan@prwatch.org / Blair Bowie, bbowie@pirg.org

Nearly One-Fifth of All Business Gifts to Super Pacs 
Were Contributed by Shell Corporations

Elections ConfidentialMADISON, WI — Mystery donors poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the 2012 elections via nonprofits and shell corporations, despite widespread public support for disclosure and decades of legal precedent supporting the public's right to know the sources of election-related spending.

Wisconsin Legislators Jetting Off on Corporate-Funded Trip to Develop Special Interest Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2012
CONTACT: Brendan Fischer

MADISON, WI -- Several Wisconsin legislators are attending this week's conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) at the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C., and likely doing so on corporate-funded "scholarships," which the Center for Media and Democracy believes violate state ethics and lobbying laws. The three-day meeting, held November 28-30, will bring state legislators together with corporate lobbyists and special interests to craft "model" bills -- many of which will likely be introduced in the ALEC-majority Wisconsin legislature in the session that begins in January.

Watchdogs Shed More Light on ALEC on Eve of Group’s DC Summit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 27, 2012
CONTACT: Sara Jerving, Center for Media and Democracy, (608) 260-9713; Mary Boyle, Common Cause, (202) 736-5770

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) convenes its annual policy summit this Wednesday in Washington, DC. The three day meeting at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel caps a year of intense controversy surrounding the organization's political agenda and tax-exempt status. The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and Common Cause have obtained new documents and produced reports that shed more light on the inner workings of ALEC and offer you valuable resources as you prepare for coverage of the ALEC conference.

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