ALEC’s chief marketing officer noted that bill ideas could only be introduced by state legislators. In task-force meetings, potential bill ideas are reportedly voted on by both private- and public-sector members. Each group has a private-sector chair and public-sector chair, according to USA Today. Groups like Dream Defenders and the Center for Constitutional Rights, have accused it of resembling a “shadow-state apparatus” and promoting “legislation that sustains corporate power.”ĪLEC’s model legislation is created by both private- and public-sector members in task forces geared towards specific issues like criminal justice or health and human services. On its website, ALEC describes itself as a “nonpartisan” organization “of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism.” Though that description may appear staid at first glance, its detractors argue that ALEC is central to some of the most profound shifts in American politics over the last several decades. As the Austin Chronicle reported, the hot Texas air was filled with chants of, “Hey, ALEC, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”ĪLEC has existed for decades, but spent most of its life in the shadows, cultivating a reputation as a conservative organizational powerhouse. Outside the Marriott hotel, which held the event, about 100 protesters displayed a giant inflatable cat in a three-piece suit with a cigar dangling out of its mouth. In August 2019, a group of more than 1,400 conservative lobbyists and lawmakers flocked to Austin, Texas, for the 46th-annual convening of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
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