For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 7, 2012
ALEC forbids Little America hotel to rent space to Better UTAH
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The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will hold their annual conference in Salt Lake City this July. The ALEC conference will be held at the Grand America Hotel and will also use space at the Little America Hotel.
The Alliance for a Better UTAH hoped to book a meeting space in the Little America Hotel to host local and national speakers, provide education to the public about the influence of ALEC-model legislation, and to setup a media station for reporters.
“Better UTAH called and reserved an available meeting room at the Little America Hotel. Our reservation was confirmed,” says Maryann Martindale, Executive Director of the Alliance for a Better UTAH. “But then a few days later the hotel called back and said that ALEC refused to allow Better UTAH to reserve a meeting room in the hotel during the ALEC conference – apparently a right that ALEC has in their contract with the hotels.”
“This is another example of the problems with ALEC, their agenda and their lack of transparency as a 501(c)(3) organization,” continued Martindale. “Better UTAH believes in the First Amendment and the open sharing of ideas, while ALEC prefers, by shutting Better UTAH out of the hotel, to work in secrecy and silence their opposition.”
Alliance for a Better Utah | 801.427.3397 | www.betterutah.org