Glenn Grothman

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Glenn Grothman is a Republican state Senator representing Wisconsin's 20th Senate District.

Grothman was reelected on November 6, 2012.

Ties to American Legislative Exchange Council

Sen. Grothman is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). He is a member of the ALEC Education Task Force and ALEC's International Relations Task Force. In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Sen. Grothman co-sponsored 11 bills that reflect ALEC models, according to an analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy. 

About ALEC

ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Grothman and Worker's Rights

Sen. Grothman was a vocal supporter of Governor Scott Walker's Wisconsin Act 10, which restricted collective bargaining rights for public employees, and introduced or co-sponsored the following bills:

• Family and medical leave: state law construed as an enactment of statewide concern and preempts city, village, town, or county ordinances............SB-23
  • Compare to preemption effort in the ALEC Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act

Grothman and Education

• Private school grades K-12 tuition: nonrefundable individual income tax credit created............ AB-112 / SB-69
  • Compare with the ALEC Family Education Tax Credit Program Act

ALEC- Related Campaign Contributions

According to ProPublica, Grothman received the following ALEC-related contributions:

• 2010 JOHN DEERE & CO $500
• 2010 AT&T $500
• 2006 KOCH INDUSTRIES $250
• 2006 AT&T $500
• 2006 ALLIANT ENERGY $250
• 2006 PFIZER $500
• 2006 PFIZER - $500
• 2006 WAL-MART $1,000
• 2006 WAL-MART -$1,000
• 2002 VERIZON $100
• 2000 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $100
• 1998 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $300
• 1998 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $250

Glenn Grothman Mention in William Cronon Records Request Scandal

In March 2011, William Cronon, a professor of environmental history at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, wrote the inaugaural post on his “Scholar as Citizen” blog entitled “Who’s Really Behind Recent Republican Legislation in Wisconsin? (Hint: It Didn’t Start Here),” where he discussed the roots of the conservative movement and suggested that ALEC was behind Governor Walker’s union-busting effort. > Two days later, on March 17, the state Republican Party filed an Open Records request for all emails on his university account pertaining to matters raised in his blog, and for any emails written by or to Cronon that mentioned the names of numerous prominent Wisconsin Republicans, including Glenn Grothman. The request was widely perceived to be in retaliation against questioning the role of ALEC, and in the words of Professor Cronon, a “way to discourage me from sticking my nose in places [the Republican Party of Wisconsin] doesn’t think it belongs.”

Support for Wisconsin Act 10's Collective Bargaining Limits

Sen. Grothman supported Governor Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill (Act 10) that curtailed collective bargaining for public employees.

2011 - 2010 Committee Assignments

Senate Standing Committees:

• Committee on Review of Administrative Rules
• Committee on Education
• Committee on Finance
• Committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs
• Committee on Senate Organization

Joint Committees:

• Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules
• Joint Committee on Finance
• Joint Committee on Legislative Organization

Legislative Council Study Committees:

• Special Committee on Judicial Discipline and Recusal