American Legislative Exchange Council
From Free net encyclopedia
The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, claims to be a nonpartisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) membership association of state legislators who share a common commitment to the Jeffersonian principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. The group develops model laws for state legislatures. Approximately 2,400 legislators (1/3 of the state legislators in the United States) are members of ALEC.
There are nine "task forces", addressing a wide variety of public policy issues: Civil Justice; Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development; Criminal Justice; Education; Health and Human Services; Homeland Security; Natural Resources; Tax and Fiscal Policy; Telecommunications and Information Technology.
ALEC has over three hundred corporate sponsors. Some corporations and trade groups that have supported ALEC include: American Nuclear Energy Council, American Petroleum Institute, Coors Brewing Company, Texaco, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the Church of Scientology, Exxon Mobil, the National Rifle Association, Amway, and others.
The group's activities are controversial, and are the subject of a 2002 exposé, published by Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council, titled "Corporate America's Trojan Horse in the States: The Untold Story Behind the American Legislative Exchange Council." This report is available at the "ALEC Watch" external link below.