Reply #362: KA (Kansas and Missouri) Lawmakers outsource duties to ALEC Kansas City Star Aug 11 [View All]

Make no mistake, legislators in Missouri, Kansas and elsewhere are perfectly capable of coming up with loopy ideas on their own. But some of the more radical ideas emerging from statehouses these days aren’t homegrown. They are hatched by industry representatives and pro-business allies and pitched to a growing cadre of state lawmakers who have signed up for membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council. You have to appreciate the irony. Lawmakers in Missouri and Kansas pride themselves on their independence. They will not allow Washington to tell them what to do, no sir. Yet they’ll take their cue from an organization set up by and for out-of-state corporate interests.

But observers of Missouri government will recognize the group’s footprint from last summer, when a measure known as the “Health Care Freedom Act” made its debut on the statewide ballot. The bill was drafted by ALEC, which gets ample cash and help from health insurers. It is basically an attempt to prevent a key element of the federal Affordable Care Act from taking effect, with the hope of ultimately derailing the entire health reform law. Jane Cunningham, a Republican senator from Chesterfield, Mo., was a member of ALEC’s board of directors when she sponsored the bill.

About a dozen Missouri lawmakers, maybe more Kansans, attended this year’s meeting in New Orleans.

Two Kansas Republican legislators, Sen. Ray Merrick of Stilwell and Sen. Susan Wagle of Wichita, are currently on ALEC’s board of directors. Last session, the Legislature adopted an ALEC resolution criticizing the federal Environmental Protection Agency for regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

In Missouri, House Majority Leader Tim Jones received about $4,000 last year to attend two of the council’s meetings.
This year, Jones sponsored a bill called the “parent trigger act.” It would have allowed a simple majority of parents of students to radically change their public school, converting to a charter school or ordering the school board to provide parents with private school vouchers. Jones’ bill is nearly identical to model legislation drafted by ALEC. Never mind the havoc it would create in school systems far and wide, it is likely to be proposed again in the next legislative session.

ALEC’s influence shows up in Missouri bills seeking to undercut union organization and dump the state income tax.

In 2008 alone, budget transparency legislation has been introduced in 28 states and has enjoyed widespread support on a bipartisan basis. In 2007, no less than five states enacted budget transparency legislation (HI, KS, MN, OK, and TX). Governors in four additional states issued executive orders to enhance budget transparency by establishing searchable online databases accessible for the general public (FL, MO, SC and TX). Some of these sites are already operational. One such example is the Missouri Accountability Portal (http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov), which was created by executive order of Gov. Matt Blunt. On the site, one can search by agency, category, contract, and vendor to track down state expenditures. The portal also contains
data on state employee salaries and tax credits issued.

In Missouri, Governor Matt Blunt has signed a bill this session, which will allow an additional option for teacher certification. The new option, offered by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), is designed specifically for midcareer (SIC) professionals.