Did corporate interests in your state fund ALEC scholarships to send some 500 state legislators to enjoy a free stay at a major resort? Businesses that routinely lobby the Nebraska Legislature bankrolled a weekend trip for 13 lawmakers to attend an ALEC conference in Las Vegas. The funding method might conflict with a state law that bars gifts of more than $50 per month from lobbyists, although the trip's organizer says nothing improper has occurred. Nebraska State Senator Pat Engel organized the trip in his role as state chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a private group in which lawmakers and conservative business interests draft model legislation on a variety of issues. ALEC is paying for the lawmakers' lodging and airfare, expected to total $12,000 or more, with "scholarship" money raised from businesses that lobby in Nebraska. Engel said that the practice complies with the law because the donations from lobbyists are funneled through ALEC and not earmarked for individual lawmakers. He said the payment method has been used for such ALEC meetings for a number of years. A 1995 advisory opinion issued by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission questioned the ALEC fund-raising practice, saying the "scholarship" money cannot exceed $50. Engel said all 13 lawmakers had their travel expenses -- $209 per night for lodging and up to $500 for transportation -- covered by the ALEC scholarships. The cost of the trip would be $918 if the lawmaker stayed two nights and $1,127 for a three-night stay. Engel said lawmakers paid no registration fee for the meeting. While the scholarships come from an ALEC account held on Nebraska's behalf, Engel acknowledged that the money is provided by Nebraska lobby groups. Jack Gould, spokesman for Common Cause Nebraska, questioned Friday whether the fund-raising method complied with state law governing gifts to lawmakers. Many lawmakers waited to leave Lincoln until after the Legislature adjourned Friday. In Colorado, the Legislature there reportedly had to shut down early because so many lawmakers had left for the ALEC conference. ALEC has drawn some criticism for its close relationship to corporate America. The group puts state legislators at the same table with business interests to vote on model legislation on a variety of topics, from privatizing Medicaid to private school vouchers. Where were your state legislators over the weekend? If they were in Las Vegas, how much "scholarship" money did ALEC funnel to them from corporate lobbyists in your state?

Ran 3/31/03