To: The South Dakota State House and The South Dakota State Senate

South Dakotans Oppose Supporting ALEC with Taxpayer Money

We South Dakotans oppose using taxpayer money to support ALEC.

Why is this important?

The Executive Board of the South Dakota legislature recently voted to pay membership fees for all state legislators in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), as well as the lawmakers' expenses when attending ALEC conferences. Financed in part by the billionaire Koch brothers, ALEC is a private, corporate-funded organization that produces "model legislation" to be advanced through state legislatures around the nation. Though ALEC claims to be nonpartisan, its model bills actually promote extreme conservative interests.

Because this new practice is both a misuse of taxpayer money and a threat to our state's political process, we concerned South Dakota taxpayers hereby voice our strenuous opposition.