ALEC tied to Florida anti-union bill

InTheseTimes.com has found a link between the conservative think tank ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and Florida House Bill 1021. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) prohibited public employers from deducting any amount from an employee’s pay for use by an employee organization (i.e., union dues) or for any political activity (i.e., the portion of union dues used for lobbying or for supporting candidates for office).

In our July 7 issue I wrote about ALEC (Voices from the Left) how its model legislation is being presented in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country. In the article, Mike Papantonio observed: “(ALEC) is basically writing the legislation for every state where you have a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled legislature. They are writing this pre-packaged, model legislation. The guy takes it home and says it’s his legislation.”

Given the similarities between HB 1021 and a rash of like-minded bills in states across the country, including Wisconsin, on March 30 a public records request was sent to Dorworth’s office seeking copies of all documents pertaining to the writing of HB 1021, including copies of any pieces of model legislation the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) may have provided. Speaker Dean Cannon’s (R-Winter Park) Communications Director Katherine Betta sent an email that there was no such documents from ALEC regarding the bill.

Two weeks later Dorworth’s office delivered 87 pages of documents, mostly bill drafts and emails, detailing the evolution of what was to become HB 1021. Buried at the bottom of the stack was an 11-page bundle of neatly typed material, labeled “Paycheck Protection,” which consisted of three pieces of model legislation, with the words “Copyright, ALEC” at the end of each.

Dorworth’s aide confirmed that her boss is a member of ALEC.

The companion bill, SB 830, was sponsored by Sen. John Thrasher (R-Jacksonville). Thrasher worked for the Tallahassee lobby firm of Southern Strategy Group, Inc., from 2002 through his election to the Florida Senate in 2009, where he represented several ALEC member corporations.

Both HB 1021 and SB 830 died in their respective chambers following pressure exerted by public employee union members.

Read more. We need to pay attention to what ALEC is pushing.