Reply #383: MI - (Michigan) State politicians use taxpayer funds to join corp special interest grp (ALEC) Aug 23 [View All]

LANSING — A report released today by We Are the People and Progress Michigan shows that current and former Michigan Legislators spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on membership fees to join the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
The group is a vehicle through which wealthy corporations and state politicians collaborate and vote behind closed doors to design legislation to benefit the corporations funding ALEC. These so-called “model bills” include undermining environmental protections, imposing voting restrictions, and defunding public education.
“At a time when state politicians are slashing education and raising taxes on seniors to balance the budget, it’s outrageous that our taxpayer dollars were wasted on this corporate special interest group,” said Zack Pohl of We Are the People. “Even worse is the possibility that wealthy corporations may have helped draft the very bills that paid for their own $1.8 billion tax break this year.”

According to records obtained from the Michigan House Business Office, $6,300 of taxpayer funds have been used to subsidize ALEC membership and meeting registration fees for members of the House since 2005. Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Senate reports that $1,300 of taxpayer funds have been spent to subsidize ALEC memberships for members of the Senate.

The list includes the following current legislators: Dave Agema (R-Grandville), Darwin Booher (R-Evart), Jud Gilbert (R-Algonac), Mike Green (R-Mayville), Geoff Hansen (R-Hart), Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell), Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth), Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), Mike Kowall (R-White Lake), Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake), Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), John Moolenaar (R-Midland), Mike Nofs (R-Battle Creek), and Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake). Also among those whose dues were paid by taxpayers is former Senator Patricia Birkholz, who is now Governor Rick Snyder’s Director of the Office of Great Lakes.