Dear Colleagues:

One of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country is barely visible to the American public. ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council – focuses on state legislation. Organized as a tax-exempt membership organization for a couple of thousand state legislators, it receives nearly all of its budget (over $9 million in 2011) from corporations and conservative donors. Task forces of both legislators and private sector members draft model legislation, which its members then propose in their states.

ALEC’s early focus on economic issues expanded to include models for “Stand Your Ground Laws” and Voter ID laws. It has been weakened by corporate and some legislators’ defections in the wake of the Treyvon Martin case, in which George Zimmerman was initially not charged with any crime based on “Stand Your Ground.” But ALEC still has an extensive agenda. Amy Hanauer – not an ALEC supporter – joins us to discuss ALEC’s current agenda and role in Ohio and other states’ politics.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Amy Hanauer is the founding executive director of Policy Matters Ohio. She has a master’s of Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. from Cornell University. Before starting Policy Matters in 2000, Amy did research and policy work in Wisconsin, Colorado and Washington D.C. In addition to running Policy Matters, Amy does research on work, wages, tax policy, energy policy and other issues. Amy Hanauer is on the board of directors and the executive committee of the national think tank Dēmos, the steering committee for Emerald Cities Cleveland, and the advisory committee to the national Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). Read her piece on Ohio in a 2011 edition of The Nation magazine and this profile about her that ran in the Plain Dealer, or her piece for Belt Magazine on starting a movement.

Where We Meet and Parking Possibilities

Guilford House is at 11112 Bellflower Road, a pretty yellow building with a porch in the Mather Quad. The Lounge is on the first floor.  The closest parking is the Severance garage or the lot at the Church of the Covenant.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

February 21: The Profession of Accounting: Where It Came From, Where It Has Been, and Where It’s Going. With Gary Previts, Distinguished University Professor and E. Mandel de Windt Professor of Leadership and Enterprise Development.

February 28: TBA

March 7: Shared Success: Law Enforcement, Faith-Based Organizations, and the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program. With Daniel Flannery Ph.D., Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Professor and Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education.

March 14: Spring Break

March 21: What the Jewish Experience Tells Us About Religion in America Today. With Peter J. Haas, Abba Hillel Silver Professor of Jewish Studies and Chair, Department of Religious Studies.

March 28: Muslims in the United States. With Justine Howe, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies.

April 4: The “Problem” of Teen Mothers. With Mary Erdmans, Associate Professor of Sociology.

April 11: Is the Federal Government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States Anti-Asian? With Timothy Webster, Assistant Professor of Law and Director, East Asian Legal Studies. ***Alternate Site: Mather House Room 100.***

April 18: Is Cleveland Dying? With John A. Begala, Executive Director, Center for Community Solutions.

April 25: Pope Francis: So Far. With Paul V. Murphy, Professor of History and Director, Institute of Catholic Studies, John Carroll University