Health & Fitness
Why Stratford Needs a Strong Voice In Hartford
ALEC is co-chaired by CT legislator, John Piscopo. When I am elected and serving you in Hartford, I will work for YOUR agenda - not ALEC's.
Democrat Terry Masters is running for the 120th District seat currently held by Republican Laura Hoydick.
Do you know ALEC? The American Legislative Exchange Council is about 40 years old and very crafty.
ALEC is the shadow organization that writes up state laws and then lobbies like anything to get them passed. ALEC passes itself off as a charity and is therefore tax-exempt.
Find out what's happening in Stratfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
And, guess what? It’s co-chaired by a Connecticut legislator, John Piscopo. Fourteen members of CT's General Assembly belong to ALEC.
Remember all the states who were trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood clinics earlier this year? Thank ALEC for that. Remember the “Stand Your Ground” laws passed in 29 states? Thank ALEC for that one too.
Find out what's happening in Stratfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
ALEC pretends it’s a public benefit charity -- but it spends all its dollars on lobbying.
Who supports ALEC? Some of Connecticut’s largest corporations do: GE, Diageo, Purdue Pharma, and Boehringer Ingelheim (US Division), paying annual membership dues of at least $25,000.
What do we get out of it?
- Lost revenue to our tax coffers: major corporations get to take a tax deduction for their lobbying costs. If they want to buy a legislator, at least don’t make us pay twice for that.
- Bad legislation: Defunding Planned Parenthood clinics is simply mean. In Connecticut, these clinics provide basic health care for mammography screenings, annual exams, STD testing, education and outreach for over 60,000 patients -- men, women and young adults.
- Higher property taxes: ALEC has been pushing the diversion of our tax dollars away from our public schools. Decreasing state support for local schools puts more and more pressure on our property taxes.
When I am elected and serving you in Hartford, I will work for YOUR agenda -- not ALEC's. I will work to strengthen our economy, protect worker's rights, and conserve our natural resources.
And I will fight against corporate special interests and legislation-for-hire groups like ALEC. I will restore the voice of Stratford's middle class and make sure that you are heard in Hartford.
If you would like more information on ALEC, this article from the CT Mirror covers it well: http://www.ctmirror.com/story/16915/connecticut-businesses-lawmakers-have-ties-controversial-group
