Lawmaking Under The Influence Of Very Special Interests

Intiouuction
1hls new reporL, ºLawmaklng under Lhe lnfluence of very Speclal lnLeresLs -
undersLandlng Lhe role of llorlda 'Lhlnk Lanks' ln drlvlng a koch-fueled, ALLC-
allled corporaLe agenda," descrlbes how an ouL-of-sLaLe agenda ls peddled ln
1allahassee by local speclal lnLeresL groups wlLh close Lles Lo Lhe conLroverslal
Amerlcan LeglslaLlve Lxchange Councll (ALLC), whose flnanclal backers seek Lo
move cookle-cuLLer leglslaLlon ln llorlda and oLher sLaLes.
1he !ames Madlson lnsLlLuLe ls parL of one of ALLC's ma[or parLners, Lhe ºSLaLe
Þollcy neLwork," whlch helps push ALLC's naLlonal corporaLe-drlven agenda as
ºconservaLlve" pollcles Lhrough Lhe sLaLes. SÞn was founded ln 1991, and Loday lL
has member Lhlnk Lanks ln all 30 sLaLes. ln llorlda Lwo of Lhe mosL promlnenL of
Lhese groups are 1he !ames Madlson lnsLlLuLe (!Ml) and Lhe loundaLlon for
CovernmenL AccounLablllLy (lCA).
1hls reporL follows up on a reporL lssued lasL year by Þrogress llorlda, Lhe CenLer
for Medla and uemocracy, llorlda WaLch, Þeople for Lhe Amerlcan Way, and
Common Cause LlLled ºALLC ln llorlda." 1haL reporL chronlcled Lhe undue
lnfluence ALLC - a shadowy ouL-of-sLaLe corporaLe fronL group - holds over publlc
pollcy ln Lhe Sunshlne SLaLe.



Among the key f|nd|ngs |n th|s report:

IMI
1
and IGA
2
c|a|m to be |ndependent |oca| vo|ces even though they are cogs |n
the State Þo||cy Network, a koch-funded, nat|ona||y-dr|ven, ALLC-a|||ed network
of groups that push a cook|e cutter agenda |n statehouses across the country.
IMI, IGA and other State Þo||cy Network member groups rout|ne|y advocate for
a nat|ona| agenda dr|ven by out-of-state corporate actors.
• Desp|te c|a|m|ng to focus on statew|de concerns, IMI and IGA often push for the same
po||c|es as nat|ona| r|ght-w|ng organ|zat|ons such as ALLC.
• 1he Iames Mad|son Inst|tute has rece|ved more than 51 m||||on from koch-funded
organ|zat|ons, and has cons|stent|y advocated for po||c|es that protect the kochs' bottom
||ne rather than the best |nterests of I|or|d|ans.
• 1hese so-ca||ed "|ndependent" vo|ces push ALLC's r|ght-w|ng agenda regard|ess of the
best |nterests of I|or|d|ans, wh||e prov|d|ng cover that he|ps |nsu|ate ALLC and SÞN's CLC
backers aga|nst pub||c scrut|ny. 1he coord|nated agenda that IMI, IGA, and ALLC press for
|s resu|t|ng |n devastat|ng consequences for I|or|da, among them:
o Attack|ng hea|th care expans|on desp|te I|or|da hav|ng the 2
nd
h|ghest
percentage (24.8¼) of un|nsured res|dents among US states, |nc|ud|ng an
est|mated ha|f a m||||on I|or|da ch||dren who |ack coverage - the fourth h|ghest
rate of un|nsured ch||dren (12.S¼) |n the country.
3

o A po||uter-dr|ven agenda that |gnores sc|ent|f|c facts about c||mate change and
sea |eve| r|se, even though I|or|da has the second most coast||ne |n the nat|on
4

and desp|te sc|ent|f|c pred|ct|ons that South I|or|da - and M|am| |n part|cu|ar -

1
Source: !ames Madlson lnsLlLuLe, AbouL us: hLLp://www.[amesmadlson.org/abouL/abouL.hLml
2
Source: loundaLlon for CovernmenL AccounLablllLy, AbouL us: hLLp://www.florldafga.org/abouL-us/
3
Source: u.S. Census Small Area PealLh lnsurance LsLlmaLes, 2011,
hLLps://www.census.gov/dld/www/sahle/daLa/lnLeracLlve/#vlew=daLa&uLll8Ln=&yL8=0&sLL8=0&aL8=0&sL8=0&lL
8=0&rL8=0&counLyC8SelecLed=false&lnsured88C=pu_&mulLl?earSelecLed=false&mulLl?earAlerLllag=false
4
Source: Wlklpedla. LlsL of uS SLaLes by CoasLllne: hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/LlsL_of_u.S._sLaLes_by_coasLllne
w||| be devastated by r|s|ng sea |eve|s,
S
and pushes for expanded offshore
dr||||ng desp|te the need to protect I|or|da's tour|sm-dr|ven economy and the
ongo|ng negat|ve consequences of the 2011 8Þ Gu|f o|| d|saster.
o narm|ng I|or|da's f|sca| hea|th by further reduc|ng the state's corporate tax
rate, wh|ch a|ready ranks among the |owest |n the country, w|th a f|at rate at
S.S¼.
6
As of 2011, more than 98¼ of I|or|da bus|ness pa|d no |ncome taxes at
a||.
7

o Lfforts to weaken the ret|rement secur|ty of I|or|da's workers by forc|ng them
|nto 401k-sty|e ret|rement p|ans that |ncrease r|sks and that take fees from
workers' ret|rement funds.
o Numerous other attacks on workers and the m|dd|e c|ass, |nc|ud|ng efforts to
b|ock m|n|mum wage |ncreases and deny cr|t|ca| emp|oyment benef|ts such as
earned s|ck t|me, as we|| as attacks on the ab|||ty of workers to effect|ve|y
organ|ze |n un|ons v|a ALLC's so-ca||ed "Þaycheck Þrotect|on Act."
• IGA |s part of a nat|ona| network of r|ght-w|ng po||cy organ|zat|ons, was founded by
conservat|ve act|v|sts from Ma|ne, and |s on|y based |n I|or|da because the|r corporate
backers p|anted them here.
• IGA's government affa|rs d|rector he|ps operate a Ma|ne-based |obby|ng f|rm, through
wh|ch he has taken thousands of do||ars from hea|th care prov|ders that accept Med|ca|d,
st|mu|us, and other government funds. Meanwh||e, IGA has act|ve|y pushed for a
Med|ca|d pr|vat|zat|on scheme that cr|t|cs say boosts corporate prof|ts at the expense of
pat|ent care.
• So-ca||ed "conservat|ve" th|nk tanks, ||ke IMI and IGA, promote po||c|es that protect the|r
wea|thy r|ght-w|ng donors, not m|dd|e c|ass I|or|d|ans. Ior examp|e, both IMI and IGA
have strong connect|ons to wea|thy |nvestment banker and spec|a| |nterest group funder
W||||am A. Dunn. Not surpr|s|ng|y, these groups have pushed |eg|s|at|on |ntended to

3
Source: 8olllng SLone. Coodbye Mlaml: hLLp://www.rolllngsLone.com/pollLlcs/news/why-Lhe-clLy-of-mlaml-ls-
doomed-Lo-drown-20130620?llnk=mosLpopular3
6
Source: 1ax Þollcy CenLer. SLaLe CorporaLe lncome 1ax 8aLes for 2013:
hLLp://www.LaxpollcycenLer.org/LaxfacLs/ConLenL/Þul/sLaLe_corporaLe_lncome.pdf
7
Source: Crlando SenLlnel, Cuess how few llorlda buslnesses pay corporaLe Laxes?, May 8, 2011:
hLLp://arLlcles.orlandosenLlnel.com/2011-03-08/news/os-scoLL-maxwell-corp-Laxes-scam-
030820110307_1_corporaLe-Laxes-lncome-Laxes-corporaLe-Lax-raLes
benef|t Dunn's bottom ||ne, |nc|ud|ng tax breaks for the wea|thy and the deregu|at|on of
Wa|| Street.
!"#$% '( )'*+%*+,

Introduct|on ........................................................................................................................... 1
1ab|e of Contents ................................................................................................................... S
IMI and IGA: 1entac|es of ALLC and the State Þo||cy Network ................................................ 6
1he Iames Mad|son Inst|tute's Çuest|onab|e Mot|ves ............................................................ 7
$1 Mllllon from kochs/koch-lunded Croups, Pelps ÞroLecL 1helr CorporaLe lnLeresLs ......................... 7
ºnonparLlsan 1hlnk 1ank" or 8epubllcan Þollcy Machlne? ..................................................................... 7
1he Ioundat|on for Government Accountab|||ty's Çuest|onab|e n|story ................................. 9
8un by CuL-of-SLaLe ÞarLlsan CperaLlves ................................................................................................. 9
ºnonparLlsan 1hlnk 1ank" or Lobbylng Machlne? ................................................................................. 10
I|or|da's 1h|nk 1anks and W||||am Dunn ............................................................................... 11
I|or|da 1h|nk 1anks Þush|ng a Nat|ona| k|ght-W|ng Agenda .................................................. 12

}NI anu FuA: Tentacles of ALEC anu the
State Policy Netwoik

1he Iames Mad|son Inst|tute and the Ioundat|on for Government Accountab|||ty are part of
the State Þo||cy Network, a koch-funded, ALLC-a|||ed organ|zat|on whose members prov|de
the appearance of "|ndependent" vo|ces advocat|ng for ALLC's corporate agenda. 1he not|on
that these groups are |ndependent actors cou|dn't be further from the truth.

• IMI: 1he !ames Madlson lnsLlLuLe has been a member of ALLC and was lnLroduced as a ºnew
member" aL ALLC's LducaLlon 1ask lorce May 2012 meeLlng ln CharloLLe, nC. !Ml's anLl-publlc
school agenda llnks back Lo ALLC and !eb 8ush's loundaLlon for Lxcellence ln LducaLlon (lLL)
8
, and
lncludes lncreased charLer school fundlng, unaccounLable prlvaLe school vouchers, parenL-Lrlgger
and more. ur. MaLLhew Ladner, senlor advlsor of pollcy and research aL lLL recenLly recelved a
ºLlfeLlme 8unkum Award" from Lhe naLlonal LducaLlon Þollcy CenLer aL Lhe unlverslLy of Colorado-
8oulder for promoLlng false and mlsleadlng lnformaLlon ln pushlng ALLC's school cholce agenda
9
.

• IGA: 1he loundaLlon for CovernmenL AccounLablllLy has been acLlve ln ALLC:
o ln uecember 2011, lCA's founder 1arren 8ragdon gave a presenLaLlon LouLlng leglslaLlve
changes Lo ALLC's PealLh and Puman Servlces 1ask lorce: ºllorlda's PealLhcare 8eforms:
Success ln Lhe Sunshlne SLaLe" aL Lhe ALLC conference ln ScoLLsdale
10
, Arlzona, ln 2011.
8ragdon, a Malne pollLlclan, creaLed lCA ln 2011 because º?ou have Lo be based ouL of an
area where you can ralse money, and naples ls a very generous communlLy. And lL's also a
very free-markeL, rlghL-of-cenLer pollLlcally orlenLed place
11
."
o ln november 2012, lCA's new addlLlon !oyce LrrecarL gave a presenLaLlon on º1anglble
Þersonal ÞroperLy 8uslness 1axes" Lo ALLC's 1ax and llscal Þollcy 1ask lorce aL Lhe
november 2012 conference ln WashlngLon, uC. LrrecarL ls acLually a vermonL lawyer and

8
Source: Þ8 WaLch. 1axpayer-Lnrlched Companles 8ack !eb 8ush's loundaLlon for Lxcellence ln LducaLlon, lLs
8uddy ALLC, and 1helr "8eforms", november 28, 2012: hLLp://www.prwaLch.org/news/2012/11/11883/Laxpayer-
enrlched-companles-back-[eb-bushs-foundaLlon-excellence-educaLlon-lLs-bu
9
Source: llorlda 1lmes-unlon. llorlda educaLlon pollcy advlsor glven "8unkum Award", May 31, 2012:
hLLp://[acksonvllle.com/oplnlon/blog/479262/Leresa-sLepzlnskl/2012-03-31/florlda-educaLlon-pollcy-advlsor-
glven-bunkum-award
10
Source: Þ8 WaLch. lnslde ALLC: naked ConLempL for Lhe Þress and Þubllc ln ScoLLsdale, !anuary 11, 2012:
hLLp://www.prwaLch.org/news/2012/01/11230/lnslde-alec-naked-conLempL-press-and-publlc-
scoLLsdale#sLhash.LCkZL?lu.dpuf
11
Source: naples ually news. Malne man: ?oung pollLlcal upsLarL from new Lngland sLarLs naples-based Lhlnk
Lank, CcLober 17, 2011: hLLp://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/ocL/17/malne-man-pollLlcs-upsLarL-1arren-
8ragdon-florlda/
former vermonL offlclal who boughL a home ln Cocoa 8each and has pushed for Lax cuLs
Lhrough lCA and oLher groups llke Lhe corporaLe-backed 1ax loundaLlon.
o ln lLs shorL exlsLence, lCA has supporLed many ALLC pollcles and bllls ln llorlda, lncludlng
Lhe ºlreedom of Cholce ln PealLh Care AcL," Lhe push Lo end Leacher Lenure and ongolng
efforLs Lo expand charLer schools and school vouchers. 8ragdon ls credlLed wlLh wrlLlng Lhe
conLroverslal healLh lnsurance law changes ln Malne known as ºLu 1333," whose provlslons
work ºa change ln raLe sLrucLure LhaL glves healLh lnsurance companles more freedom Lo
charge hlgher raLes Lo Malners who are older, slcker and llve ln rural areas," among oLher
changes LhaL reduce consumer overslghL over healLh lnsurance, accordlng Lo Lhe 8angor
ually news
12
.
o 1aklng a page from 8ragdon's Malne game plan, lCA recenLly worked Lo deny access Lo
healLh care for an esLlmaLed 1 mllllon low lncome llorldlans LhaL would have been newly
ellglble for Medlcald under Lhe Affordable Care AcL.

IMI Þromoted ALLC-L|nked Larned S|ck 1|me]Þreempt|on 8||| |n I|or|da: llorlda's earned slck Llme
preempLlon blll, CS/P8 633 (ÞrecourL), ls slmllar Lo a Wlsconsln blll clrculaLed aL an ALLC meeLlng as
a model. !Ml promoLed Lhe blll among lLs ºkey leglslaLlon." 1h|s damag|ng p|ece of mode| ALLC
|eg|s|at|on sa||ed through the 2013 I|or|da Leg|s|ature and was s|gned |nto |aw by Gov. k|ck Scott
on Iu|y 14
th
desp|te 80¼ of I|or|d|ans support|ng earned s|ck t|me standards for workers.

The }ames Nauison Institute's
Questionable Notives
-.'*/"0+1,"* !21*3 !"*34 '0 5%/6#$17"* 8'$179 :"721*%;

A|though IMI |s descr|bed as a "nonpart|san" nonprof|t, |t has very c|ose t|es to po||t|ca|
part|es. IMI has c|ose connect|ons to severa| kepub||cans and the kepub||can Þarty, both |n
I|or|da and nat|ona||y:

• C|ose Þarty 1|es. !Ml Chalrman Allan 8ense, ls a 8epubllcan former speaker of Lhe llorlda
Pouse, and ls Lhe faLher-ln-law of currenL llorlda Pouse Speaker Wlll WeaLherford (8). ln hls
speech aL !Ml's 23
Lh
Annlversary Cala, 8ense sald !Ml was lmporLanL because lL gave llorlda
leglslaLors ºfacLs" as compared Lo whaL was ln Lhe news. When he descrlbed !Ml, he called lL
ºob[ecLlve" and ºblparLlsan," buL sLopped and correcLed hlmself saylng ºwe're a llLLle
conservaLlve, agreed." 1haL would be an undersLaLemenL, glven !Ml's corporaLe parLy agenda.

• kout|ne|y Ieatures kepub||can neavy n|tters

o ln !uly 2012, !Ml and !eb 8ush's Sun ÞAC cohosLed an evenL on educaLlon ln Mlaml.

12
Source: 8angor ually news. Lu 1333: key provlslons of Malne's healLh lnsurance overhaul blll, May 12, 2011:
hLLp://bangordallynews.com/2011/03/12/healLh/lncluded-ln-full-sLory-lnsure0312/
o 1hen-vlce ÞresldenL ulck Cheney spoke aL a !Ml Conference ln 2004.

<= :1$$1'* (0'> ?'72@A6%$%B C0'6/, D%$/, EBF"*7% G/%71"$ H*+%0%,+,

1he Iames Mad|son Inst|tute advocates for po||c|es that protect the bottom ||ne of the|r
corporate donors - at the expense of m|dd|e c|ass I|or|da fam|||es.

!Ml has recelved fundlng LhaL can be Lraced dlrecLly Lo Lhe famlly forLune of Lhe bllllonalre broLhers
(Charles and uavld) who run global oll flrm koch lndusLrles: Lhe Charles C. koch CharlLable loundaLlon
conLrlbuLed $83,479 Lo !Ml beLween 2007 and 2011. Powever, Lhe kochs are known Lo fund speclal
lnLeresL groups ln ways oLher Lhan Lhrough Lhe charlLles ln Lhelr name. lor example, lL has been
dlscovered LhaL koch lndusLrles funds some of Lhe SÞn groups dlrecLly and because LhaL corporaLlon ls
noL publlcly Lraded lLs donaLlons are noL publlcly reporLed. Slmllarly, lL has been documenLed LhaL Lhe
koch broLhers fund speclal lnLeresLs Lhrough personal checks and LrusL accounL Lransfers (noL from Lhelr
charlLles) Lo oLher groups LhaL are noL requlred Lo publlcly reporL Lhelr donaLlons.

!Ml, for example, recelved $963,742 from uonors 1rusL and uonors CaplLal lund beLween 2003 and
2011, Lwo funds LhaL have been closely Lled Lo Lhe kochs buL whlch obscure Lhe percenLage of Lhelr
granLs comlng from koch money. ln 2011, conLrlbuLlons from Lhe uonors groups made up 10° of !Ml's
granLs.

ln recenL years, uonors 1rusL has poured mllllons lnLo speclal lnLeresL groups LhaL descrlbe Lhemselves
as ºfree markeL" and are ofLen branded as ºllberLarlan" or ºconservaLlve" even Lhough many of Lhelr
pollcles are more falrly descrlbed as ºcorporaLe" or favorlng Wall SLreeL flrms. uonors 1rusL allows
exLremely wealLhy lndlvlduals who wanL Lo donaLe large sums Lo rlghL-wlng causes Lo do so
anonymously, leavlng Lhe ldenLlLy of Lhose bankrolllng such speclal lnLeresL groups cloaked from Lhe
publlc.

Cver Lhe years, !Ml has released several ºsLudles" and reporLs LhaL deny global warmlng ls happenlng,
call for an end Lo clean energy programs, advocaLe for expanded offshore drllllng desplLe Lhe rlsks Lo
llorlda's shores from deeper wells (llke 8Þ's ueep WaLer Porlzon), and push for corporaLe Lax breaks, all
of whlch would dlrecLly beneflL Lhe koch broLhers' corporaLe and personal lnLeresLs. Pere are a few
examples:

• !"#$#%&'( %*+ !#,,-%+"./ 0(+'123 !Ml vlgorously defends lLs blg-oll corporaLe donors, llke Lhe
koch broLhers, Lhe Amerlcan ÞeLroleum lnsLlLuLe, and Lxxon Mobll, by publlshlng sLudles crlLlcal
of carbon dloxlde resLrlcLlons, llke lLs 2009 reporL ºCbama's CllmaLe/Lnergy Agenda: 1rouble for
llorlda." !Ml also opposes oLher envlronmenLal safeLy measures, llke cap-and-Lrade programs,
renewable-energy mandaLes, and low-carbon fuel sLandards, all of whlch Lhe lnsLlLuLe argues
agalnsL ln lLs 2010 sLudy: ºCur Self-lmposed CbsLacles Lo Lnergy lndependence."

• 4('#"&'( 56&+'%&7&6 826%. #' 9,&$2%+ 9*2'(+3 !Ml noL only promoLes a pro-polluLer, pro-fossll
fuel lndusLry agenda, buL has also been a vocal skepLlc of wheLher cllmaLe change ls happenlng,
desplLe Lhe agreemenL of more Lhan 98° of sclenLlflc sLudles publlshed ln peer-revlewed
[ournals. Some of Lhe lnsLlLuLe's sLudles, reporLs, and edlLorlals LhaL deny global warmlng and
cllmaLe change lnclude:

o A 2008 LeLLer Lo Lhe LdlLor by !Ml ÞresldenL and CLC 8ob McClure. McClure argues LhaL
global warmlng ls noL a ºseLLled sclence."

o A 2010 sLudy clalmlng LhaL sclenLlsLs manlpulaLed cllmaLe daLa Lo reach Lhe hypoLhesls
of global warmlng.

o A 2008 sLudy, LlLled º1he CulL of Clobal Warmlng," whlch clalms LhaL global warmlng ls
belng pushed by Lhe soclal ellLe and compares ºCreen envlronmenLallsm" Lo º8ed
communlsm."

o A 1998 reporL quesLlonlng lf Lhere ls a human lnfluence on Lhe global cllmaLe, and
advocaLlng agalnsL lmplemenLlng envlronmenLal safeLy unLll Lhe ºsclence ls seLLled."

Whlle !Ml has Lo concocL lmaglnary vlllalns who purporLedly beneflL from ralslng concerns abouL
global warmlng, Lhe reallLy ls LhaL Lhe maln beneflclary of propaganda Lo slow efforLs Lo address Lhe
demonsLrable cllmaLe change LhaL ls occurrlng ls Lhe oll lndusLry, whlch [usL happens Lo be underwrlLlng
parL of !Ml's budgeL Lhrough koch-fueled phllanLhroples llke Lhe uonor groups.

• 01:#62%&'( 7#" ;#"+ <77.*#"+ ="&,,&'(3 !Ml has called for more offshore drllllng ln llorlda,
speclflcally ln lLs 2008 reporL, ºlL's 1lme 1o updaLe CbsoleLe Þollcy on Cffshore urllllng," and lLs
2003 reporL ºCulf urllllng Can Pelp llorlda's LnvlronmenL." ln Lhe wake of Lhe 2010 Culf oll
dlsasLer, many have crlLlclzed efforLs Lo expand offshore drllllng ln llorlda. Such drllllng provldes
llLLle dlrecL economlc beneflL Lo llorlda buL poses grave rlsks Lo lLs shorellne, Lourlsm, and
flshlng lndusLrles. llorlda has no oll reflnerles wlLhln lLs LerrlLory, buL Lhe sLaLe economy earns
mllllons annually from lLs beaches and marlne hablLaLs
13
.

The Founuation foi uoveinment
Accountability's Questionable Bistoiy
56* #9 8"0+1,"* I/%0"+1F%,

1he Ioundat|on for Government Accountab|||ty |s part of a nat|ona| network of r|ght-w|ng
po||cy organ|zat|ons founded by conservat|ve act|v|sts from Ma|ne and |s on|y based |n I|or|da
because |ts hyper-part|san founder p|anted |t here.

Whlle lCA clalms Lo be nonparLlsan and llorlda-based, lL was founded ln 2011 by 8epubllcan and
conservaLlve acLlvlsLs from Lhe sLaLe of Malne. lCA's CLC and founder 1arren 8ragdon ls a former
8epubllcan sLaLe leglslaLor who served as head of Lhe Malne PerlLage Þollcy CenLer, anoLher ºLhlnk
Lank" afflllaLed wlLh Lhe conservaLlve SLaLe Þollcy neLwork, Lhe naLlonal web of rlghL-wlng pollcy

13
Source: uS Lnergy lnformaLlon AdmlnlsLraLlon. hLLp://www.ela.gov/dnav/peL/peL_pnp_cap1_dcu_sfl_a.hLm
organlzaLlons Lo whlch lCA belongs. 8ragdon has sLaLed LhaL lCA's ºlnlLlal donors who were lnLeresLed
ln havlng [hlm] here" ln llorlda were responslble for hls move Lo Lhe sLaLe.
-.'*/"0+1,"* !21*3 !"*34 '0 51J2+@K1*J L'##91*J :"721*%;

1he Ioundat|on for Government Accountab|||ty boasts about |ts |obby|ng musc|e, but does |t
p|ay by the ru|es?

lCA frequenLly brags abouL lLs lnfluence ln sLaLe pollLlcs and clearly has well-esLabllshed Lles wlLh sLaLe
leglslaLors. ln 2012, for example, lCA bragged LhaL lL had ºengaged early on" wlLh Pouse and SenaLe
sponsors of P8 1003, a proposal Lo creaLe a new exempLlon from Langlble personal properLy (1ÞÞ) Laxes
for buslnesses wlLh less Lhan $30,000 ln buslness equlpmenL, Lo successfully lnfluence Lhe leglslaLlon.
Accordlng Lo lCA's own posL on lLs webslLe, Lhe organlzaLlon had ºregular dlscusslons and meeLlngs"
wlLh Lhe sponsors of Lhe blll and Lhe Covernor's offlce. Powever, lCA dld noL have a reglsLered lobbylsL
ln llorlda ln 2012. Whlle a 301(c)(3) non-proflL can engage ln a llmlLed amounL of lobbylng, lL appears
LhaL lCA's ouLreach Lo llorlda leglslaLors abouL changlng llorlda's laws ls noL so llmlLed. Powever, lLs
federal Lax flllngs for 2012 have noL yeL been made publlcly avallable.

IGA's Government ke|at|ons D|rector ne|ps Cperate Ma|ne-8ased Lobby|ng I|rm, Lobb|es for
C||ents 1hat 1ake Government Iunds and May 8enef|t from IGA Þroposa|s

lCA CovernmenL 8elaLlons ulrecLor ChrlsLopher u. Pudson reglsLered on Aprll 16, 2013 Lo represenL
lCA ln llorlda. Pudson also works as Lhe llorlda Þubllc Affalrs ulrecLor for SLraLeglc Advocacy, a publlc
affalrs consulLlng flrm based ouL of Malne and reglsLered as a forelgn corporaLlon ln llorlda.

Pudson and SLraLeglc Advocacy also reglsLered Lo lobby Lhls year for LlfeSLream 8ehavloral CenLer,
MenLal PealLh Care, lnc., and Apalachee CenLer, lnc., all of whlch are Medlcald provlders ln llorlda.
14

Meanwhlle, lCA has acLlvely pushed for Lhe expanslon of a llorlda Medlcald prlvaLlzaLlon plloL program
LhaL has boosLed Lhe proflLs of provlders of Medlcald servlces aL Lhe expense of expanded enrollmenL
and paLlenL care, accordlng Lo crlLlcs. lCA's acLlvlLy on behalf of Lhe prlvaLlzaLlon scheme has lncluded
presenLlng Lhe plan Lo ALLC, whlch endorsed Lhe program's expanslon.

Pudson's represenLaLlon of flrms LhaL rely on governmenL spendlng comes desplLe lCA's and 8ragdon's
advocacy for reducLlons ln governmenL spendlng. ln addlLlon Lo accepLlng Medlcald dollars, MenLal
PealLh Care, lnc., has accepLed more Lhan $100,000 ln federal sLlmulus funds, accordlng Lo onllne
records, and anoLher Pudson cllenL, MedlSk?, conLracLs wlLh governmenL agencles.

Pudson and SLraLeglc Advocacy reporLed recelvlng beLween $10,007 and $89,992 comblned from
LlfesLream, MenLal PealLh Care, lnc., Apalachee, and MedlSk? for lobbylng servlces ln Lhe flrsL half of
2013.

14
Sources: LlfesLream: hLLp://www.nfbhp.com/servlces/servlces_chooslng_provlders.hLm
MenLal PealLh Care, lnc.: hLLp://www.florldahealLhparLners.com/members/mbr_medlcald_area_6.hLm
Apalachee CenLer: hLLp://www.florldahealLhflnder.gov/laclllLyLocaLor/laclllLyÞroflleÞage.aspx?ld=229083

Floiiua's Think Tanks anu William Bunn

Conservat|ve th|nk tanks |n I|or|da ||ke IMI and IGA promote po||c|es that protect the|r
wea|thy r|ght-w|ng donors, not m|dd|e c|ass I|or|d|ans, and the case of W||||am Dunn offers a
pr|me examp|e.

8oLh !Ml and lCA have sLrong connecLlons Lo Wllllam A. uunn, who owns an lnvesLmenL flrm (uunn
CaplLal ManagemenL) ln llorlda and also runs a rlghL-wlng foundaLlon (uunn's loundaLlon for Lhe
AdvancemenL of 8lghL 1hlnklng). Wllllam uunn serves on Lhe lCA's board of dlrecLors. ln addlLlon, hls
wlfe, 8ebecca, ls a member of !Ml's board of dlrecLors and uunn's foundaLlon has glven aL leasL
$333,000 Lo !Ml beLween 2002 and 2011, maklng lL one of !Ml's largesL known sources of lncome.

uunn's foundaLlon has glven mllllons Lo oLher rlghL-wlng groups ln llorlda and around Lhe unlLed SLaLes,
lncludlng Lhe lranklln CenLer, lreedomWorks, Lhe CaLo lnsLlLuLe, Lhe naLlonal 8lghL Lo Work Legal
uefense loundaLlon, Lhe Macklnac CenLer, Lhe SLaLe Þollcy neLwork, Lhe naLlonal 1axpayers unlon, Lhe
PearLland lnsLlLuLe, Lhe Amerlcan LnLerprlse lnsLlLuLe, and Lhe 8eason loundaLlon. Wllllam uunn has
also served on Lhe boards of Lhe 8eason loundaLlon, CompeLlLlve LnLerprlse lnsLlLuLe, and Lhe CaLo
lnsLlLuLe, alongslde represenLaLlves of Lhe kochs or Lhe kochs Lhemselves.

Dunn and offshore accounts: uunn CaplLal ManagemenL's webslLe reveals LhaL cllenLs have a program
opLlon called ºoffshore funds," alLhough only Lhose wlLh a username and password can access
lnformaLlon abouL Lhe program. 1yplcally, offshore funds are a way Lo avold paylng Laxes LhaL mlghL
oLherwlse be due Lo supporL Lhe Amerlcan governmenL, alLhough Lhe Lrue naLure of uunn's off shorlng
of funds ls secreL and unknown.

Dunn's Net Worth |s keported|y 580 M||||on, Stands to 8enef|t from IMI & IGA Þo||c|es: ln 2009,
lnsLlLuLlonal lnvesLor reporLed Wllllam uunn's neL worLh aL $80 mllllon. noL surprlslngly, uunn has used
hls lnfluence Lo fund Lhlnk Lanks ln llorlda (!Ml & lCA) LhaL promoLe pollcles LhaL would help hls boLLom
llne:
• Deregu|at|on of Wa|| Street]Investment I|rms: !Ml calls for less governmenL regulaLlon and
overslghL boLh for Wall SLreeL lnvesLmenL flrms and Lhe economy overall ln CovernmenL Þollcles
Lncouraged Wall SLreeL's 8lsky 8uslness (SepLember 2008) and 8eware When CovernmenL 8uns
8oLh ÞollLlcs And 1he Lconomy (2009).

• kepea| of the Lstate 1ax: !Ml promoLes llorlda's repeal of Lhe LsLaLe 1ax, a Lax LhaL largely
affecLs Lhe very wealLhy, and calls on Congress Lo do Lhe same ln lLs 2010 reporL: ºllorlda Pas A
Puge SLake ln 1he 'ueaLh 1ax' uebaLe."

• Lower|ng 1axes: !Ml and lCA have also released dozens of reporLs almed aL lowerlng Laxes,
ofLen for Lhe wealLhlesL ln llorlda, lncludlng:
o !Ml 2003, ºLow 1axes Can keep llorlda's Lconomy Pummlng"
o !Ml 2007, º1he Case for llorlda Lo LnacL A 1axpayer ÞroLecLlon AmendmenL"
o lCA 2012, ºlCA helps move llorlda one sLep closer Loward [ob-creaLlng buslness Lax
rellef"
o lCA 2012, ºMaklng llorlda Lhe 1ax Paven of Lhe SouLh"

Floiiua Think Tanks Pushing a National
Right-Wing Agenua

IMI and IGA often push for the same po||c|es as nat|ona| r|ght-w|ng organ|zat|ons, most
notab|y ALLC, |nc|ud|ng some the most controvers|a| |ssues of the 2013 I|or|da |eg|s|at|ve
sess|on:

Issue
James Madison
Institute (JMI)
Foundation for
Government
Accountability (FGA)
American Legislative
Exchange Council
(ALEC)
Advocating for
Attacks on
Retirement Security
In January 2013, after the
Florida Supreme Court
upheld a law requiring
workers to pay more into
state retirement plans, JMI
President & CEO Robert
McClure released a
statement praising the
ruling, and then called for
the legislature to take
another action by requiring
new hires to be placed in a
riskier 401k-style plan. JMI
has also released several
reports calling for further
attacks on worker
retirement security.
FGA listed the passage of
a bill harming workers’
retirement security in its list
of “good accomplishments”
of the 2011 Florida
Legislature.
ALEC’s “Public Employees’
Portable Retirement Option
(PRO) Act” is a move
towards eliminating defined
benefit retirement plans for
public employees, which
protects retirees.
Issue
James Madison
Institute (JMI)
Foundation for
Government
Accountability (FGA)
American Legislative
Exchange Council
(ALEC)
Privatizing Public
Education:
Vouchers, Charter
Schools, & Parent
Trigger
“Education Reform” is one
of JMI’s stated focus areas,
and over the years JMI has
published numerous
reports supporting school
vouchers, charter schools,
and parent trigger
legislation. JMI President
Bob McClure also issued a
statement condemning the
Florida Legislature for
blocking ALEC’s parent
trigger bill during the 2013
legislative session.
In 2011, FGA listed the
following as good
accomplishments of the
Florida Legislature: “Ended
tenure, expanded charter
schools, vouchers and
virtual schools.”
Education privatization is a
key component in ALEC’s
extreme agenda. ALEC’s
school voucher “models”
include the Education
Enterprise Zone Act and
The Parent Choice
Scholarship Program Act.
ALEC’s charter school
models include the Charter
Schools Act and the Next
Generation Charter
Schools Act. Finally,
ALEC’s ‘Parent Trigger Act’
is very similar to ones that
have been rejected in the
Florida Legislature in
recent years, containing
some word-for-word
language.
Against Healthcare
Reform & Medicaid
Expansion
JMI filed an Amicus Brief
with the Supreme Court in
support of the State of
Florida’s challenge to the
Affordable Care Act. In
addition, JMI has released
several reports against the
Affordable Care Act and
Medicaid Expansion. In
February 2013, JMI
released a poll showing the
majority of voters opposed
Medicaid expansion. The
poll was conducted by
Cherry Communications,
who, according to their
website, “promote
Republican principles by
providing voter contact and
other phone services to the
Republican community”
FGA is against the 2010
Affordable Care Act, and
has released several
reports against Medicaid
expansion. In addition,
FGA’s Tarren Bragdon
attended ALEC’s Health
and Human Services Task
Force in Scottsdale, AZ in
November 2011. Finally,
several news outlets report
that Tarren Bragdon met
with Florida lawmakers
during the 2013 session to
“examine the Affordable
Care Act” and lobby them
not to expand government
Medicaid for Floridians.
ALEC has issued several
“model” bills against the
2010 Affordable Care Act,
including the Freedom of
Choice in Health Care Act
and the Resolution
Opposing Employer-Paid
Health Care Mandates.
ALEC’s Guide to Repeal
Obamacare is a guide for
state legislators to repeal
the Affordable Care Act,
and urges them to reject
Medicaid expansion and
federal grants for Medicaid.
Preemption & Earned
Sick Time
JMI released a report in
February 2013 that
opposed minimum wage
earned sick time, and wage
theft mandates.

ALEC’s model on the issue
Living Wage Mandate
Preemption Act and its
connection to push
preemption bills across the
country was exposed by
Think Progress in March
2013, including its efforts in
Florida.
Issue
James Madison
Institute (JMI)
Foundation for
Government
Accountability (FGA)
American Legislative
Exchange Council
(ALEC)
Against the Minimum
Wage
JMI has stated its
opposition to the minimum
wage in Florida in 2012 and
2013 reports. JMI Policy
Director Robert Sanchez
also wrote in the Orlando
Sentinel in March 2013
against raising the
minimum wage.

ALEC has produced
several “models” to oppose
minimum wage laws,
including the Resolution in
Opposition to any Increase
in the Starting (Minimum)
Wage and the Living Wage
Mandate Preemption Act
Paycheck Deception
In December 2012, JMI
released a report calling for
the Florida Legislature to
pass paycheck deception
legislation and an article
entitled “Why Florida
Needs Paycheck
Protection” also appeared
in the JMI Journal.

ALEC’s Paycheck
Protection Act is an attempt
at union-busting by making
it difficult for public
employee unions to raise
funds to protect and
advance the interests of
workers.