States & Nation Policy Summit: Day Two

Posted by Brad Johnson Thu, 05 Dec 2013 12:00:00 GMT

At the Grand Hyatt.

Agenda

7:00am – 7:00pm Registration
8:00am – 9:15am Plenary Breakfast with Gov. Matt Mead (R-Wyo.)
9:30am – 5:00pm ALEC Exhibition Hall Open
9:30am – 10:45am Workshops (Topics TBA)
11:00am – 12:15pm Workshops (Topics TBA)
12:30pm – 2:15pm Plenary Lunch with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
2:30pm – 5:30pm Justice Performance Project Task Force Meeting
2:30pm – 5:30pm Health and Human Services Task Force Meeting
2:30pm – 5:30pm Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force Meeting
2:30 Call to Order, Welcome, and Introductions
2:35 Old Business – Approval of Annual Meeting Minutes
2:40 A Report from the Public Pension Reform Working Group
2:45 A Report from the Fiscal Policy Reform Working Group
2:50 Budgeting for Priorities in Indiana
3:05 Update from Washington
3:35 The Crossroads of Federal and State Budgets
3:45 The Possible Consequences of a State Fiscal Emergency
3:55 State Economic Principles
4:05 New Research on State Pension Funds
4:15 Appropriation by Litigation
4:25 2014 Legislative Session Preview
4:40 Update on Multi-State Tax Policy
4:50 Discriminatory Sales Taxes
5:00 Consideration of Proposed Model Legislation
  • Resolution to Reduce the State’s Dependence on Federal Funds
  • Federal Funds Commission Act
  • Statement of Principles on States’ Dependence on Federal Funds
    • 5:15 Model Legislation for Five Year Review Process
  • Constitutional Amendment Restricting the Use of Vehicle Fees and Taxes for Highway Purposes
  • Resolution to Oppose NCCUSL Effort to rewrite the Uniform Division of Income for Tax Purposes
  • Resolution to Permanently Repeal the Federal Unified Gift and Estate Tax 
  • Resolution Urging Congress to Reject “Windfall Profits” Taxes on Energy Companies
  • Resolution Urging Congress to Update Tax Treatment of Cell Phones
  • Statement of Principles for Model State Laws to Encourage Philanthropic Creation and Operation
  • Statement of Principles on Philanthropic Freedom
  • Resolution Urging Congress to Eliminate Discriminatory State and Local Taxes on Automobile Renters
    • 5:25 New Business
    5:30 Adjournment
    2:30pm – 5:30pm International Relations Task Force Meeting
    6:00pm – 7:30pm Jingle Bell Rock: The ALEC Holiday Party

    Day One

    Day Three

    ALEC DC Summit Speakers Lineup: Top Republican 2016 Presidential Contenders, Climate Conspiracy Theorists

    Posted by Brad Johnson Wed, 20 Nov 2013 06:55:00 GMT

    ALEC Summit speakers
    Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Gov. Matt Mead (R-Wyo.), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
    The upcoming American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) States & Nation Policy Summit will feature several nationally prominent Republicans with potential aspirations for the U.S. 2016 presidential nomination. The announced speakers at the annual conference of the lobbying group, which links corporations and conservative foundations with Republican state legislators, include, in order of appearance:

    All five reject the science of climate change, arguing that scientists are part of a conspiracy to attack the use of fossil fuels.

    • Johnson: “I absolutely do not believe in the science of man-caused climate change. It’s not proven by any stretch of the imagination. It’s far more likely that it’s sunspot activity or just something in the geologic eons of time.”
    • Ryan: Scientists are guilty of a “perversion of the scientific method, where data were manipulated to support a predetermined conclusion” to “use statistical tricks to distort their findings and intentionally mislead the public on the issue of climate change.”
    • Mead: “I am unconvinced that climate change is man-made, but I do recognize we may face challenges presented by those who propose and believe they can change our climate by law with ill-thought-out policy like cap and trade (the latest version of which is the Senate Climate Bill, S. 1733, unveiled May 12th).”
    • Cruz: “There remains considerable uncertainty about the effect of the many factors that influence climate: the sun, the oceans, clouds, the behavior of water vapor (the main greenhouse gas), volcanic activity, and human activity. Nonetheless, climate-change proponents based their models on assumptions about those factors, and now we know that many of those assumptions were wrong.”
    • Pence: “I think the science is very mixed on the subject of global warming. . . In the mainstream media, Chris, there is a denial of the growing skepticism in the scientific community about global warming.”

    Also scheduled to speak is Ajit Pai, a former Verizon lobbyist appointed by President Obama in 2012 as a Republican FCC Commissioner, and rising Republican star State Sen. Mark Green (R-Tenn.-22), a military veteran, former field surgeon, and radical gun-rights advocate.

    The climate accountability organization Forecast the Facts is protesting Google’s support for ALEC on account of the council’s opposition to Google’s stated support for climate policy action.