Foundation for Government Accountability

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a right-wing advocacy group based in Naples, Florida. It is run by former Maine legislator Tarren Bragdon. It is affiliated with the State Policy Network (SPN), a web of state pressure groups that denote themselves as "think tanks" and drive a right-wing agenda in statehouses nationwide.

The FGA describes its own agenda as developing free market public policies that “achieve limited, constitutional government and a robust economy that will be an engine for job creation across [Florida].” The FGA “believes personal liberty and private enterprise are key to our economic future,” the website states.

Bragdon launched the website FloridaOpenGov.org as part of the Foundation for Government Accountability.

"Nonpartisan Think Tank" or Right-Wing Lobbying Machine?
A 2013 report by Progress Florida and the Center for Media and Democracy notes:


 * "FGA frequently brags about its influence in state politics and clearly has well-established ties with state legislators. In 2012, for example, FGA bragged that it had 'engaged early on' House and Senate sponsors of HB 1003, a proposal to create a new exemption from tangible personal property (TPP) taxes for businesses with less than $50,000 in business equipment, to successfully influence the legislation. According to FGA’s own post on its website, the organization had 'regular discussions and meetings' with the sponsors of the bill and the Governor’s office. However, FGA did not have a registered lobbyist in Florida in 2012. While a 501(c)(3) non-profit can engage in a limited amount of lobbying, it appears that FGA's outreach to Florida legislators about changing Florida's laws is not so limited. However, its federal tax filings for 2012 have not yet been made publicly available."

In April 2013, FGA registered a lobbyist at the Florida statehouse, its government relations director Chris Hudson. While FGA's website does not disclose this, Hudson is also Florida Public Affairs Director for Strategic Advocacy, a public affairs consulting firm based in Maine and registered as a foreign corporation in Florida. Hudson registered as a lobbyist to represent FGA April 16, 2013, but at around the same time in March and April 2013 he also registered to lobby on behalf of Apalachee Center, Inc., Capitol Insight, LifeStream Behavioral Center, MediSKY LLC, and Mental Health Care, Inc., and in November 2013 he also registered to lobby on behalf of Florida Onsite Wastewater Association.

LifeStream, Apalachee, and Mental Health Care, Inc. are all Medicaid providers in Florida. According to Progress Florida's 2013 report, "Meanwhile, FGA has actively pushed for the expansion of a Florida Medicaid privatization pilot program that has boosted the profits of providers of Medicaid services at the expense of expanded enrollment and patient care, according to critics. FGA’s activity on behalf of the privatization scheme has included presenting the plan to ALEC, [which] endorsed the program’s expansion. Hudson’s representation of firms that rely on government spending comes despite FGA’s and Bragdon’s advocacy for reductions in government spending."

Florida Welfare Drug Testing Controversy
A study funded and written by the organization contributed to Florida Governor Rick Scott's defense of his controversial welfare drug-testing law, requiring benefit recipients to take a drug test as a qualification for benefits. The law came under fire from the ACLU and other groups, and a Bush-appointed federal judge threw out the Foundation's study as evidence, claiming it was "not competent expert opinion" and that "even a cursory review of certain assumptions in the pamphlet undermines its conclusions."

FGA’s FloridaOpenGov.org
In January 2012 FGA Chief Executive Officer, Tarren Bragdon, created and launched the website FloridaOpenGov.org. The website is an online database of the salaries of Florida’s public employees and is almost an exact replica of a project by Bragdon at his last place of employment, the Maine Heritage Policy Center.

The website is a compilation of “about 35 million public records detailing nearly $1.4 trillion in spending and payroll by state, county, municipality and school,” according to the FGA.

According to a FGA Press Release, data include:


 * County government payroll (FY 1997-2011)
 * Local K-12 public education payroll (FY 1997-2011)
 * State government payroll (1995-2010)
 * Local government spending (FY 1993-2010)
 * State vendor payments (FY 2005-2011)

Florida State Representatives Matt Hudson (R-Naples), Rachel Burgin (R-Tampa Bay), Joseph Abruzzo (D-Wellington), and City of Longwood Mayor Joe Durso endorsed the website.

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
The FGA has close ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). In 2011, CEO Tarren Bragdon presented to ALEC's Health and Human Safety Task Force at the 2011 States and Nation Policy Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bragdon touted the state's controversial Medicaid reform plans and Florida’s welfare drug testing law during the event.

The former director of ALEC's Health and Human Services Task Force, Christie Herrera, went on to become FGA's vice president of policy. .

FGA is also on ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force. At the 2012 States and Nation Policy Summit, FGA staff member, Joyce Errecart, presented "Tangible Personal Property Business Taxes."

Please see SPN Ties to ALEC for more.

Maine Heritage Policy Center
The Foundation's CEO and Director, Tarren Bragdon, is the former head of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a Koch-funded and affiliated right-wing think tank described as very influential within the Maine GOP establishment.

The Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal of Maine, in a profile of Bragdon, noted that his Maine group faced "allegations that its increased involvement in this year's gubernatorial election pushes, if not violates, the political lobbying limits allowed by its tax-exempt status."

Cato Institute
Robert Levy of the Cato Institute is on FGA's board. He has long been active with the Cato Institute, which was founded in 1977 by Charles Koch.

State Policy Network
The Foundation is a state affiliate of the State Policy Network, a web of state pressure groups that denote themselves as "think tanks" and drive a right-wing agenda in statehouses nationwide. Mother Jones writes of the State Policy Network: "Its mission is simple: to back a constellation of state-level think tanks loosely modeled after Heritage that promote free-market principles and rail against unions, regulation, and tax increases. By blasting out policy recommendations and shaping lawmakers’ positions through briefings and private meetings, these think tanks cultivate cozy relationships with GOP politicians. And there’s a long tradition of revolving door relationships between SPN staffers and state governments. While they bill themselves as independent think tanks, SPN’s members frequently gather to swap ideas."

Funding
The FGA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and does not disclose the source of its funding. Bragdon has previously said that ”initial donors who were interested in having [him] here” in Florida were responsible for his move to the state.

Core Finances
 2011 :
 * Total Revenue: $212,194
 * Total Expenses: $151,739
 * Net Assets: $60,455

Board of Directors
As of November 2013:


 * Tarren Bragdon, President and CEO
 * Roberty Levy (Chairman of the Board, Cato Institute)
 * William A. Dunn (DUNN Capital Management)
 * Andrea Forrest Brock (Zoneup, Inc.; married to Republican former Vermont State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock)

Staff
As of November 2013:


 * Tarren Bragdon, Chief Executive Officer
 * Chris Cinquemani, Chief Communications Officer
 * Jonathan Bechtle, Chief Operating Officer (former CEO of the Freedom Foundation in Washington State)
 * Christie Herrera, Senior Fellow
 * Chris Hudson, Government Relations (although not disclosed on FGA's website, Hudson is also Florida Public Affairs Director for Strategic Advocacy, a public affairs consulting firm based out of Maine and registered as a foreign corporation in Florida -- Hudson registered as a lobbyist to represent FGA April 16, 2013, as well as LifeStream Behavioral Center, Mental Health Care, Inc., and Apalachee Center, Inc. -- all of which are Medicaid providers in Florida -- in March and April of 2013.)
 * Chad Goote, Director of Development
 * Jonathan Ingram, Director of Research
 * Josh Archambault, Senior Fellow
 * Zachary Crockett, Operations Coordinator
 * Joyce Errecart, Senior Fellow for Tax Policy

Former Staff
As of April 2013:


 * Joyce Errecart, Senior Fellow for Tax Policy
 * Joseph Burk, PhD, Fellow for Entrepreneurship
 * Darcie Johnston, Development
 * Megan Teague, Research Fellow

Contact
Foundation for Government Accountability Suite 201-279 15275 Collier Blvd Naples, FL 34119 PHONE: 239.244.8808 FAX: 239.217.4397 E-MAIL: info@floridafga.org