Investigation Reveals Extent To Which Special Interests And Corporations Have Infiltrated Legislative Process Through ‘Model Bills’
A two-year investigation by USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic and the Center for Public Integrity found at least 10,000 bills almost entirely copied from model legislation were introduced nationwide in the past eight years. The bills touch on everything from abortion to gun control to sugary drink taxes.
USA Today:
Abortion, Gun Control: How Special Interest Groups Push Legislation
Each year, state lawmakers across the U.S. introduce thousands of bills dreamed up and written by corporations, industry groups and think tanks. Disguised as the work of lawmakers, these so-called “model” bills get copied in one state Capitol after another, quietly advancing the agenda of the people who write them. A two-year investigation by USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic and the Center for Public Integrity reveals for the first time the extent to which special interests have infiltrated state legislatures using model legislation. (O'Dell and Penzenstadler, 4/4)
