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Groups Attempt to Deliver Letter to ALEC re: ALEC/NRA "Kill at Will" Law

Rally outside of ALEC headquarters in Washington, DC, March 29, 2012On March 29, a diverse coalition of advocacy organizations, activists, and national leaders protested the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) paid promotion of deadly "Kill at Will" legislation written by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The attendees delivered a letter to ALEC headquarters at 1100 Vermont Ave, NW in Washington demanding that the group disclose all NRA funding and publicly pledge to end its promotion of "Kill at Will" bills.

Organizing sponsors include the National Urban League, NAACP, ColorOfChange, Moveon.org, AFL-CIO, SEIU, ProgressNow, Center for Media and Democracy/ALECexposed.org, Presente, Public Campaign, Common Cause, People For the American Way, UltraViolet, Faith in Public Life, National Council of Churches, USAction, and more.

Rally for Trayvon Martin in Front of ALEC Headquarters

MEDIA ADVISORY, March 28, 2012

CONTACT: Tim Rusch, 917.399.0236, Tim@fitzgibbonmedia.com, Naomi Seligman, 310.617.4577, Naomi@FitzGibbonMedia.com

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Rally Against ALEC "KILL AT WILL" Laws that are Protecting Trayvon's Shooter

Prominent National Organizations Urge ALEC to Disavow Lethal Law after Murder of Florida Teen -- Will Deliver Demand Letter to DC Headquarters

WASHINGTON, DC -- On March 29, a diverse coalition of advocacy organizations, activists, and national leaders will protest the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) paid promotion of deadly "Kill at Will" legislation written by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The attendees will also deliver a letter to ALEC headquarters at 1100 Vermont Ave, NW in Washington demanding that the group disclose all NRA funding and publicly pledge to end its promotion of "Kill at Will" bills.

The Corporations Bankrolling ALEC, which Has Promoted the "Stand Your Ground" Gun Law as a "Model" Bill

The gun lobby has come under the spotlight for its role in the so-called "Stand Your Ground" or "Shoot First" law that may protect the man who shot and killed seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida -- but many other special interests, including household names like Kraft Foods and Wal-Mart, also helped facilitate the spread of these and other laws by funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Shocker! FOX asks Tough Questions and Paul Ryan Flubs

Congressman Paul RyanCongressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) was on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace talking about his new GOP budget plan. After the disastrous roll out of last year's budget plan, widely panned for its $6,000 Medicare voucher, Ryan has polished up his approach. He says the new plan would simplify the tax code, "broaden the tax base," and close tax loopholes. You can watch the interview here.

Dr. Jill Stein: Green Party Candidate for President

Jill SteinJill Stein, a doctor and activist from Massachusetts, is running for the Green Party nomination for President of the United States. Stein is the frontrunner for the party's nomination, running against comedian Roseanne Barr and veteran Green Party activists Kent Mesplay and Harley Mikkelson. Stein's campaign, headed up by Wisconsin native Ben Manski, is focusing on getting enough delegates in each state to win the party's nomination at the July 2012 Green Party convention in Baltimore and on securing November ballot lines in all 50 states.

Jill Stein is a physician, author, environmental health advocate, and mom. She has been particularly active on the issue of toxic chemicals and their effects on children and on campaign finance reform. She ran for Massachusetts' Green-Rainbow Party for Governor in 2002, for State Representative in 2004, and for Secretary of State in 2006.

Groups Write to ALEC's Corporate Board Regarding Trayvon Martin

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) joined with United Republic, Rebuild the Dream and ColorofChange.org in a letter to the 20 members of the "Private Enterprise Board" of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The letter asks the corporations to sever ties with ALEC and end their financial support of the organization. The request is made out of respect for Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year old who was shot and killed in Florida last month. Trayvon's killer could be protected from justice under a Florida "Stand Your Ground" law that became a template for an ALEC model bill introduced and adopted in over 20 states.

Death by Delay: Obama Team Stalls on Chemical Regulation

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has drafted a "chemicals of concern" list to restrict the use of certain chemicals and alert the public to their possible dangers. But the list remains secret and dormant because it's stuck at the Obama administration's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review.

OIRA is a division of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). According to Katie Greenhaw, Regulatory Policy Analyst at the government watch-dog group OMB Watch, OIRA has 90 - 120 days to review rules from a regulatory agency, before releasing the rule back to the agency to open it up for public comment. Rules then go back to OIRA for additional review before being published as final rules. This rule has been stuck at OIRA for almost two years. That means the public hasn't even laid eyes on it.

Judges Slam Wisconsin GOP for "Needlessly Secret" and "Partisan" Redistricting

Voces de la FronteraA federal court ruled yesterday that new election maps drawn by Wisconsin Republican lawmakers last year violated the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn.

A panel of three judges ruled that Latino communities on the Southside of Milwaukee were disenfranchised by the overly partisan maps. The maps for Assembly districts 8 and 9 must be redrawn by the state legislature, which is now split 16-16 in the Wisconsin Senate, or the court will redraw them. However, the judges upheld all the other legislative and Congressional districts that Republicans drew last year stating that even though the maps caused problems for some one million voters and disrupted long-standing political relationships, the resulting population deviations were not large enough to permit judicial intervention under the law.

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