Corporations: Thats Whos Behind The Writing Of Pretended Law | SettingBrushFires
Summary
Transcript
Can’t show you what’s behind this closed door. A place where legislators and corporate lobbyists have an equal vote, a place they don’t want you to see. You need to be credentialed at registered. We are credentialed. We are Georgia. We’re Georgia media. Are there legislators in there? Are there legislators in there? We are Georgia credentialed here. Please stop over here. What? We’re. There’s Georgia legislators here. Are laws being made in there.
Isn’t the state capitol. It’s a resort hotel in Savannah where lawmakers are wined and dined as members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. What is alec? It’s really a corporate bill mill. I mean, they’re cranking out legislation, putting it into the hands of legislators who go back and file it. Georgia Senator nan Ulrich would know. She was once an ALEC member. What happens in these back rooms? There are votes taken that have the corporate folks at the same table voting with the legislators on what bills to pick, and that that at its core, just screams out inappropriate.
You’re telling me that in these rooms, a corporation has an equal vote with a legislator on a piece of legislation? They absolutely vote. And the truth be told, they write the bills. AlEc bills come complete with blanks where legislators need only fill in their state name, like the Asbestos Claims Priorities act. This Georgia law that now prevents many asbestos victims from suing corporations matches the ALEC bill. Clause after clause, often word for word.
The final vote was taken here at the Georgia Capitol, but the bill was first approved here inside a Las Vegas casino at a closed door ALEC meeting. Records show the three Georgia senators who sponsored the bill received more than $22,000 in ALEC Scott scholarships to attend resort meetings the year before, during, and after the asbestos law was passed. This is money from corporations to legislators, but it’s being filtered through ALEC, and they get a tax write off.
Well, ALEC is a 501 organization. Charitable educational purposes. That’s right. AlEC is an educational charity. The signature of Georgia’s speaker of the House, David Ralston, appears on this 2013 AlEC fundraising letter. He writes, your support of the scholarship fund is critical, enabling Georgia legislators to attend the annual meetings. Donations are 100% tax deductible and fund education efforts for legislators. Who’s doing the educating inside that closed door committee room in Savannah? We couldn’t show you.
We saw the lobbyist for the cell phone industry seated across from Georgia state Rep. Ben Harbin right before we were pulled out here. We’re credentialed to observe legislators here in Georgia, wherever they meet to discuss laws. He’s calling for backup. Alex. Staffers had four off duty sheriff’s deputies standing by while we talked with the group’s director of communications. Can we do an interview with you? Actually, no. Why not? If you please turn the camera.
No, we can’t turn the camera off. We. You know, that’s one thing we don’t do. Okay, well, then I’d like to have you escorted out of the building, please. Okay. We. I’m a guest at this hotel. I’m actually staying here. You are staying at this hotel. So here’s the question, is if Georgia legislators are meeting here, we’re credentialed right here to see Georgia legislators making laws. Are they discussing.
Discussing things that could become law here? Georgia legislators are here participating in discussions where they’re learning from legislators, from others. So why can’t the people who elected them see the process? This is a private meeting. A private meeting paid for by whom? By our members and donors. Our lobbyists, correct? No. Are you here for this conference, too? Are you really? I’m not a lobbyist. We met two lobbyists and a state representative from New England in the hotel bar the night before and recorded our conversation.
You have to pay your own way. That’s where you would come in. Man, on a trip like this. I’m the state of Al. Yeah. And I look for financial support. Rank lobbyists, like, a couple thousand bucks every so often. That gives me money to help those folks with now. Yeah. And we pay more. And you do? You do. I see. So the lobbyist fees to come to the event actually help subsidize the legislator coming here are lobbyists, correct? No, they’re not lobbyists.
The ones that we recorded in the bar last night aren’t lobbyists who are here members. He signals to the sheriff’s deputies. All right, we’re. I’m a guest of the hotel, sir. Not for long. I’m here about paying guests to this hotel, sir. We’ll take care of that. Escort you up to your room and get your things. Did we violate some law or something? I mean, are we violating a law here? Don’t say no.
Don’t say nothing. One of the Georgia senators who sponsored that asbestos bill, Renee Unterman, told the eleven alive investigators she later dropped out of Alec, calling it a group of angry white men controlled by industry, not legislators. Major corporations like Atlanta based Coca Cola have also dropped out of Alec. Wow. Eye opening, to say the least. Do lawmakers have to report payments for travel to these kinds of resort meetings? You would think, Brenda, but in Georgia, the answer is no.
We filed half a dozen open records requests with Georgia legislators, including the speaker of the House, asking for receipts and reimbursements to Alec events. Well, today we received this letter from their lawyer. Your request is denied. Quote, the General assembly is not subject to the Georgia open records law. In other words, lawmakers specifically exempted themselves from a law they passed to make Georgia government more transparent. Guards were standing for you.
Yeah, absolutely. This is just baffling. We’ll stay on it. And we wouldn’t know it had it not been for this report. All right, Brendan, thank you. Line blowing. .
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