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Legislative Leaders Push to Restore Funding for ALEC Trips

Remember the half-million dollars that the Legislature added to its own budget, giving themselves twelve times more money to play with than they could find for each K-12 teacher in South Dakota. The Legislative Research Council never said they needed that money, so what on earth could fiscal conservative Republicans Speaker Brian Gosch and Senate Majority Leader Russell Olson have wanted that money for?

Why, to attend ALEC meetings, of course. Here's Rep. Kathy Tyler's account of the LRC's Executive Board's first meeting on how to spend that new mad money:

Our inaugural meeting saw the election of chair and vice-chair and a discussion of legislative travel. There are three organizations to which South Dakota belongs: National Conference of State Legislators, the Council of State Governments, and the Midwestern Legislative Conference. One trip per year per legislator is the current policy. There are also four national projects or forums that appointed legislators can attend.

The travel policy used to be much broader—go to wherever and you’ll be reimbursed. Of course, without any restrictions, things got a bit ugly, and travel was restricted. After much discussion of increasing the number of trips to three and adding ALEC, American Legislative Exchange Council, as a destination, time forced the final decisions to be made at the April meeting. The inclusion of ALEC will be an interesting discussion. While the organizations currently approved are run basically by dues and have legislators’ issues in mind, ALEC is funded about 98% by corporations and tends to have its own agenda—HB1234 for example [Rep. Kathy Tyler (D-4/Big Stone City), "Summer Break?" Kathy's Corner, 2013.04.01].

Rep. Gosch and Sen. Olson wouldn't want South Dakota to fall behind the faux-conservative pro-corporate agenda. So they want to use your money to send their minions for marching orders from ALEC. I'm sure you won't mind if your legislators pay less attention to you and more attention to the Koch brothers.

3 Comments

  1. Dee Voss 2013.04.01

    They should not need state money for these trips. And the state probably shouldn't have paid in the past. If the state paid for the trips in the past – I would ask the legislators if they received an ALEC corporate funded scholarship to attend the meeting and if they did receive a corporate scholarship - I would ask the legislators to reimburse the state for past conferences that the state funded.

    Why? because most of your ALEC legislators are task force members
    http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/South_Dakota_ALEC_Politicians

    And because of they are task force members – the corporations that fund ALEC also pay for your task force legislators to go to meetings – for free - through corporate scholarships – travel, room, registration, parking – paid for by the corporations.
    http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7Bfb3c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92be-bd4429893665%7D/CIED%20SNPS%202012.PDF

    SCHOLARSHIP POLICY BY MEETING
    ALEC Spring Task Force Summit: 1. Spring Task Force Summit Reimbursement Form: ALEC Task Force Members are reimbursed by ALEC up to a predetermined set limit for travel expenses. Receipts must be forwarded to the ALEC Policy Coordinator and approved by the Director of Policy. 2. ALEC Task Force Members’ room & tax fees for a two-night stay are covered by ALEC. 3. Official Alternate Task Force Members (chosen by the State Chair and whose names are given to ALEC more than 35 days prior to the meeting to serve in place of a Task Force Member who cannot attend) are reimbursed in the same manner as Task Force Members. 4. State Scholarship Reimbursement Form : Any fees above the set limit, or expenses other than travel and room expenses can be submitted by Task Force Members for payment from their state scholarship account upon the approval of the State Chair. Receipts must be submitted to the State Chair, who will submit the signed form to the Director of Membership. 5. Non-Task Force Members can be reimbursed out of the state scholarship fund upon State Chair approval. Receipts must be submitted to the St ate Chair, who will submit the appropriate signed form to the Director of Membership.

    ALEC Annual Meeting : State Scholarship Reimbursement Form : State scholarship funds are available for reimbursement by approval of your ALEC State Chair. Expenses are reimbursed after the conference, and may cover the cost of travel, room & tax, and registration. Receipts are to be submitted to the State Chair, who will then submit the signed form to the Director of Membership.

    PLEASE NOTE: From 2006 - 2008 ALEC Corporations put a total of $45,000+ into the SD ALEC meeting scholarship fund, for SD legislators to go to ALEC meetings.
    http://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/f/fa/BUYING_INFLUENCE_Main_Report.pdf

  2. Owen Reitzel 2013.04.01

    Time to let my legislatures know not to go to ALEC

  3. Rorschach 2013.04.01

    How many legislatures do you have, Owen?

    These trips appear to be big back scratching affairs. Legislators are happy to be wined and dined and courted by potential big donors. Big businesses are happy to identify the folks who are on their side and will do their bidding back home.

    GOP elected officials who want to run for statewide office in the future, like Dan Lederman, Brian Gosch and Deb Peters are attracted to ALEC like flies are to ... well, you know.

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