ivory, ken Rep

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</div><div></div><div><h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; word-spacing: 3.6px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 2em; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Special Program to Work on Radical Rewrite of U.S. Constitution</h2>ALEC is extending its conference well into the evening on Friday this year to hold an "interactive academy" on rewriting the U.S. Constitution. Attendees will "learn how an Article V amendments convention will actually play out," and "cast their ballots to decide which ideas to pursue," an <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21018436-alec-academy-article-v-and-bba-tickets-fri-jul-30-2021" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">invite</a> obtained by CMD details.One of the goals of the tutorial appears to be to convince lawmakers that a runaway convention can be prevented, despite expert opinions that this is impossible."Once you have the convention, it is subject to nobody's control," Georgetown University Law Professor David Super <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-constitutions-scott-walker-politics-business-0079f922a810f82336a64b4ac6a3a214" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">told</a> the AP. "It makes its own agenda. It makes its own voting rules that decides how long it lasts and how far it goes."At the 2020 Annual Meeting, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-constitutions-scott-walker-politics-business-0079f922a810f82336a64b4ac6a3a214" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">detailed</a> a legal strategy to force a convention to rewrite the nation's founding document even though at the time only 28 of 34 states needed had resolutions calling for one pending. Former State Rep. Ken Ivory (R-UT) will moderate the event, while U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, Prof. Robert Natelson, David Biddulph, former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, and Dr. Barry Poulson will present.ALEC is already pushing constitutional convention calls for a balanced budget amendment and sweeping new limits on federal powers, but meeting attendees will also have the opportunity to consider a newly proposed convention call for a package of tax and fiscal reforms, including "abolishing the existing Internal Revenue Code," called the <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/application-under-article-v-of-the-u-s-constitution-to-propose-an-amendment-to-require-fiscal-limitations-and-accountability-for-the-legislative-and-executive-branches-of-the-national-government/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Application Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to Propose an Amendment to Require Fiscal Limitations and Accountability for the Legislative and Executive Branches of the National Government</a>. The model application also seeks to combine the states that pass it with other balanced budget amendment convention calls in an attempt to reach the 34 states needed to convene a constitutional convention.<h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; word-spacing: 3.6px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 2em; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Protecting Fossil Fuel Interests and Other Climate Harming Measures</h2>ALEC politicians will once again consider model bills to protect fossil fuel interests and polluters.Meeting attendees will debate a number of policies framed around ending "energy discrimination." The radical <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/energy-discrimination-elimination-act/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Energy Discrimination Elimination Act</a> would punish financial institutions and other companies that cease to do business with fossil fuel companies by barring the state from investing in them and denying them state business. The policy also includes an anti-boycott measure which prohibits government contractors from boycotting energy companies, even asking for "written verification" from companies stating that they "will not boycott energy companies during the term of the contract."This model, as well as the <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/affordable-abundant-reliable-electricity-act/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Affordable, Abundant, Reliable Electricity Act</a>, which seeks to protect all energy producers in the name of maintaining a reliable electrical grid, are being lobbied for by Randy Eminger, executive director of the Energy Policy Network, an <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21018441-alec-model-bills-supporting-coal-based-power-email-from-coal-lobbyist-june-24-2021" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">email</a> obtained by CMD details.An advocate for "clean coal," Eminger describes his mission at Energy Policy Network as, "to support the continued use of coal-fueled power," in the email, and notes that "four other comrades from the industry" will be at the ALEC conference as well.In keeping with ALEC's <a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/07/12/alec-extreme-exxon-long-term-alec-board-member-dumps-alec-climate-denial-policy%e2%80%8b/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">climate-denial history</a> and pay-to-play work for fossil fuel giants, ALEC lawmakers will also vote on resolutions to <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/resolution-supporting-reliable-and-affordable-energy/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">oppose any government action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions</a>, and <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/resolution-to-protect-market-access-for-all-electricity-generators/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">oppose any restrictions on the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity</a>.Indeed, ALEC is even proposing a model bill, the <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/safeguarding-greenhouse-gas-regulatory-authority-act/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Safeguarding Greenhouse Gas Regulatory Authority Act</a>, to bar any state agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions or entering into any regional compact without "specific legislative authorization.” The <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/resolution-urging-states-to-establish-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-as-a-competitive-market-free-from-utility-commission-regulation/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Resolution Urging States to Establish Electric Vehicle Charging Stations as a Competitive Market Free From Utility Commission Regulation</a> urges state utility commissions to forbid "regulated utilities from using electric customer funds to build its own fleet of electric charging stations," thereby removing crucial funds to expand the infrastructure a larger fleet of electric cars will need in the future. This will have the intended consequence of forcing people to continue driving gas-guzzling vehicles for longer than necessary.ALEC is also introducing another preemption model bill around plastics, the <a href="https://www.alec.org/model-policy/act-to-establish-statewide-uniformity-for-essential-plastic-regulations/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">Act to Establish Statewide Uniformity for Essential Plastic Regulations</a>. Spun as a policy to ensure "essential" plastic products are available, the proposed bill would bar municipalities from banning or taxing plastic food wrappers and plastic water bottles. The measure follows a 2015 American City County Exchange (an ALEC offshoot) <a href="https://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/03/13060/barring-plastic-bag-bans-another-alec-bill-takes-aim-local-democracy" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-shadow: rgb(204, 51, 51) 0px 3px 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s;">resolution</a> that calls on local government not to regulate many single-use products, including, "reusable bags, disposable bags, boxes, cups, and bottles that are made of cloth, paper, plastic, extruded polystyrene, or similar materials."<h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; word-spacing: 3.6px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 2em; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Regulating Big Tech?</h2></div><div>=</div>