As Republican Leaders Meet In Dallas, Protesters Rally Outside (ALEC Convention)
Protesters outside the Dallas Anatole opposing the meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Bill Zeeble KERA News
Some of the nations most powerful Republican politicians are in Dallas this week for the annual convention of the American Legislative Exchange Council known as ALEC. There was action inside and protests outside.
The American Legislative Exchange Council has been around a long time. The Dallas meeting is its 41st annual gathering, and exemplifies a kind of button-down conservatism. Thats reflected in its core values repeated a lot: free markets, limited government, and federalism another way of saying states rights.
ALEC creates legislation it hopes states adopt. It helped with the Stand Your Ground laws that garnered bad publicity after George Zimmerman killed Treyvon Martin and used the law for his defense. ALEC helped write failed ordinances Farmers Branch passed trying to keep illegal immigrants from renting there.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus welcomed ALEC attendees at today's luncheon. Hes glad the non-profit no longer pushes immigrant renter rules.
More at
http://kut.org/post/republican-leaders-meet-dallas-protesters-rally-outside .