JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — UPDATE: Sen. John Lamping, R-St. Louis County, is listed as a “co-chair” of ALEC on ProgressMO’s ALEC trading cards. Lamping says this is a “lie.”
“I’ve never been to a meeting, ever. I have no problem with ALEC but I’ve never spoken with anyone from ALEC,” Lamping says. “However, people should know it is a complete lie, and whoever is circulating it is perpetuating a lie.”
Shortly after Lamping told The Missouri Times about the error, ProgressMO Executive Director Sean Nicholson admitted it was an error, and said Lamping would be properly identified on the trading cards from now on.
“It was a mistake and I totally recognize the error,” Nicholson said. “Senator Lamping will be properly referenced from now on, and I while I still would have identified him as a ‘water carrier’ he is not a co-chair and I do apologize for the mistake. I left a message with [Lamping’s] office explaining the mistake.”
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ProgressMO is hoping to use some Missouri lawmaker’s relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to bring public pressure against some key elements of the conservative agenda.
Executive Director Sean Nicholson says that ALEC represents the interests of its corporate members, and that Missouri lawmakers carrying ALEC bills aren’t representing their districts.
“If a corporate member of ALEC can draw up a bill favorable to them and give it to lawmakers across the country, then those lawmakers are representing those interests, not their constituents,” Nicholson says.
ProgressMO handed out ALEC membership trading cards today ahead of Gov. Jay Nixon’s State of the State address, identifying members, state leaders and “water carriers” for ALEC. Nicholson and ProgressMO are looking to paint ALEC as a corporate controlled organization without the support of the average Missouri voter.
“We don’t even always know their membership because even though they are lobbyists, they don’t behave like lobbyists” Nicholson says. “So we have had to do a lot of extra research just to find out who is going to their events and who is carrying their agenda.”
Nicholson identified Right-to-Work legislation and some education bills as ALEC legislation, saying that states across the country are adopting similar conservative legislation as the result of the far-reaching ALEC.
“People are putting pressure on corporate members of ALEC to leave, like McDonalds and Pepsi which have both given up their membership, because people are realizing that these companies are paying for this agenda that their customers don’t support,” Nicholson says. “Which is why we are seeing these so-called ‘movements’ in many states, because of ALEC members and their reach.”
The following names are of lawmakers that are included in the trading cards: Keith Frederick, Paul Curtman, Caleb Rowden, Peter Kinder, Vicky Hartzler, Sam Graves, Doug Funderburk, Tony Dugger, Mike Kelley, Bob Dixon, Sue Allen, Gary Cross, Stanley Cox, Sue Entlicher, Kevin Elmer, Bart Korman, Ed Emery, David Sater, Sandy Crawford, Ron Richard, Dave Hinson, Andrew Koenig, Mike Parson, Donna Lichtenegger, Dan Brown, Brian Munzlinger, Crissy Sommer, Bill Lant, Bill White, Kurt Bahr, Lyle Rowland, Jay Wasson, Caleb Jones, Noel Torpey, Brian Nieves, Shelly Keeney, Rex Sinquefield
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
