Bill Moyers [3] will be examining the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) this weekend on his weekly television show "Moyers & Company." The show entitled "The United States of ALEC" [4] will highlight the work of the Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy and its many allies in the effort to expose ALEC's inner workings. In July 2011, CMD launched its award winning "ALEC Exposed [5]" project analyzing over 800 ALEC "model" bills and documenting over 1000 politicians and more than 700 companies that have been part of ALEC. On the same day, our partners at The Nation [6] magazine launched a cover story and a package of articles by experts with additional analysis of ALEC's agenda.

ALEC brings together major American corporations and right-wing legislators to craft and vote on "model" bills behind closed doors. These bills include extreme gun laws, like ratifying Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, as well as pre-approving union-busting legislation, Arizona style anti-immigrant legislation and voter suppression laws that have sparked lawsuits across the nation. The bills are later introduced in state houses across the nation with no mention of their ALEC roots or the role global corporations had in voting on them or crafting them.

The organization's agenda is so extreme that in the last few months, 40 major U.S. companies, including Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Kraft, and General Motors, have severed ties with ALEC. This would not have been accomplished without CMD's continuing research and sustained campaigning by public interest groups including Common Cause, ColorofChange, People for the American Way, Progress Now, PCCC and the actions of many thousands of citizens, who mailed post-cards, signed petitions, sponsored teach-ins, and protested at ALEC conferences and at corporate headquarters.

Tune In! "Moyers & Company" airs at different times in different parts of the country. Click here [3] to check the schedule by entering your zip code and your service provider. The show will air Sunday, September 30th at 6pm CDT in Madison on Wisconsin Public Television.