In February 2025, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) published its ‘Essential Policy Solutions’ playbook for 2025, doubling down on its decades-long campaign to eliminate state corporate and individual income taxes and replace them with higher sales taxes—a regressive shift …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Lisa NelsonArthur LafferState Policy NetworkHeritage Foundation+4 morealectax-policystate-legislationcorporate-corruptionregressive-taxation+6 more
Governor Brian Kemp signed Georgia’s SB 202, the “Election Integrity Act of 2021,” implementing a sweeping 98-page voter suppression law that became the first major state enactment of Trump’s “Big Lie” and ALEC’s post-2020 model legislation. Passed on strict …
Governor Brian KempGeorgia Republican LegislatureSecretary of State Brad RaffenspergerAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)alecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationgeorgiabig-lie+2 more
Throughout 2021, at least 440 bills containing voter restriction provisions were introduced across 49 states, representing the largest coordinated assault on voting rights since Jim Crow and demonstrating ALEC’s systematic model legislation deployment at unprecedented scale. The Brennan Center …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationHeritage ActionRepublican state legislatorsState Policy Networkalecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationbig-lievoting-rights+3 more
Utah Representative Ryan Wilcox and Senator Daniel McCay championed HB 474, legislation requiring legislative approval for “major” agency rules with significant economic impact, modeled directly on ALEC’s Targeted Legislative Review Act. The law created a Legislative Economic …
Ryan WilcoxDaniel McCayAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Utah State Legislatureinstitutional-capturecorporate-influenceregulatory-capturealecderegulation
By 2019, research documented the cumulative impact of ALEC’s systematic corporate tax-cutting campaign: the effective state and local tax rate on corporate profits had declined from 5.9% in 1989 to 3.9% in 2019—a 33% reduction representing the successful culmination of three decades of …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)State LegislaturesCorporate LobbyGood Jobs FirstEconomic Policy Institute+1 morealeccorporate-corruptiontax-policyrace-to-bottomfiscal-crisis+5 more
On June 6, 2017, the Republican-controlled Kansas legislature voted to override Governor Sam Brownback’s veto and repeal the massive tax cuts enacted in May 2012, marking one of the most decisive rejections of supply-side economics in modern American history. The veto override passed with …
Sam BrownbackKansas LegislatureArthur LafferAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Kansas Republican Party+1 morekansastax-policysupply-side-economicsalecfiscal-crisis+7 more
By early 2017, 28 U.S. states have right-to-work laws, with eight traditionally industrial and union-strong states adopting the legislation since 2010 using American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) model legislation: Indiana and Michigan (2012), Wisconsin (2015), West Virginia (2016), and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Koch brothersAmericans for ProsperityU.S. Chamber of CommerceNational Association of Manufacturers+1 morelabor-suppressionalecright-to-workunion-bustingstate-capture+4 more
The Kentucky Legislature passes House Bill 1, an ALEC-inspired right-to-work measure, making Kentucky the 27th right-to-work state just one week into the 2017 legislative session. Governor Matt Bevin signs the legislation swiftly, fulfilling what ALEC describes as “one of the most repeated …
Matt BevinKentucky LegislatureAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Kentucky House Committeelabor-suppressionright-to-workaleckentuckyunion-busting+2 more
The West Virginia Legislature overrides Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto of the “Workplace Freedom Act,” making West Virginia the 26th state to enact right-to-work legislation prohibiting mandatory union membership or fees. The override follows the coordinated Koch-backed playbook …
West Virginia LegislatureEarl Ray TomblinAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Koch NetworkState Policy Network+1 morelabor-suppressionright-to-workalecwest-virginiaunion-busting+2 more
Governor Scott Walker signs private sector right-to-work legislation at an invitation-only ceremony at Badger Meter in Brown Deer, making Wisconsin the 25th right-to-work state and completing the systematic destruction of union power in the state. After Act 10 (2011) eliminated collective bargaining …
Scott WalkerAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Scott FitzgeraldRobin VosWisconsin GOPlabor-suppressionalecright-to-workwisconsinunion-busting+2 more
Governor Rick Snyder signs sweeping anti-union legislation making Michigan—the birthplace of the United Auto Workers and a union stronghold—the 24th right-to-work state. The Michigan House and Senate ram through bills HB 4003 (public sector) and HB 4054/SB 116 (private sector) during a lame duck …
Rick SnyderAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Mackinac CenterMichigan GOPKoch brothers+3 morelabor-suppressionalecright-to-workmichiganunion-busting+3 more
In October 2012, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) adopted the ‘Electricity Freedom Act’—a model bill co-written with the fossil fuel-funded Heartland Institute that called for the nullification of state Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS). The legislation was …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heartland InstituteJames TaylorEdison Electric InstituteAmerican Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers+2 morealecrenewable-energyfossil-fuelsmodel-legislationregulatory-capture+3 more
On May 22, 2012, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed Senate Bill Substitute HB 2117, implementing what became known as the ‘Kansas experiment’—the most aggressive implementation of ALEC’s corporate tax-cutting agenda ever attempted by a U.S. state. The legislation eliminated state …
Sam BrownbackArthur LafferAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Kansas LegislatureKoch Industriesaleccorporate-corruptiontax-policykansassupply-side-economics+5 more
Seven major corporations—Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mars, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and software maker Intuit—announced they were dropping their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in April 2012, along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ceasing new …
Color of ChangeCoca-ColaPepsiCoKraft FoodsMcDonald's+3 morealeccorporate-corruptionaccountabilitycivil-rightslegislative-capture+1 more
In March 2012, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, a founding member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), signed into law the nation’s first modern ag-gag statute, the Agricultural Production Facility Fraud law (Iowa Code Section 717A.3A), criminalizing whistleblower documentation of …
Iowa LegislatureGovernor Terry BranstadAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Agriculture Industrycorporate-impunitywhistleblower-suppressionalec-legislationregulatory-capturefirst-amendment
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signs right-to-work legislation making Indiana the 23rd state and the first in the Rust Belt manufacturing region to prohibit mandatory union membership or fees as a condition of employment. The bill is sponsored by multiple ALEC members and follows ALEC’s model …
Mitch DanielsAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Indiana Republican PartyNational Right to Work CommitteeKoch brothers+1 morelabor-suppressionright-to-workalecmodel-legislationstate-capture+3 more
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), in cooperation with The Nation magazine, launched the ‘ALEC Exposed’ web project on July 13, 2011, posting 850 model bills created by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over a 30-year period and exposing the systematic corporate …
Center for Media and DemocracyThe NationAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Common CauseKoch Industriesaleclegislative-capturecorporate-corruptioninvestigative-journalismregulatory-capture+1 more
Governor Scott Walker signs Wisconsin Act 10, eliminating collective bargaining rights for most public employees and marking one of the most significant defeats for organized labor in modern American history. The legislation, introduced February 14, 2011, ends collective bargaining for everything …
Scott WalkerAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Wisconsin GOPKoch brothersAmericans for Prosperity+1 morelabor-suppressionalecunion-bustingwisconsincollective-bargaining+3 more
Following the 2010 Tea Party midterm elections that gave Republicans control of 26 state legislatures (gaining 675 state legislative seats), the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) holds its States and Nation Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., December 1-3, with the agenda focused on …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Scott FitzgeraldKoch brothersAmericans for ProsperityRepublican Partylabor-suppressionalecright-to-workunion-bustingstate-capture+3 more
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signs Senate Bill 1070, the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration law in the United States, making it a state misdemeanor for immigrants to be in Arizona without carrying required documents and requiring law enforcement officers to determine immigration status …
Russell PearceJan BrewerCorrections Corporation of AmericaAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)GEO Group+1 moreimmigration-policyalecprivate-prisonscorporate-captureracial-profiling+1 more
ALEC’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force approved the “Voter ID Act” model legislation at its July 2009 Atlanta meeting, with final Board of Directors approval on August 27, 2009. The model bill was created in direct response to Barack Obama’s 2008 election victory and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Hans von SpakovskyHeritage FoundationALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Forcealecvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+2 more
In 2007, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) launched its first annual ‘Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index’ report, co-authored by economist Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore, and ALEC staff. The report ranked all 50 states based on 15 …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Arthur LafferStephen MooreJonathan WilliamsKoch Industriesaleccorporate-corruptiontax-policyrace-to-bottompropaganda+4 more
On May 5, 2000, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Natural Resources Task Force adopted the ‘Environmental Literacy Improvement Act’ at ALEC’s Spring Task Force Summit, with full approval by ALEC’s Board of Directors in June 2000. The model bill was …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Sandy Liddy BourneHeartland InstituteKoch IndustriesExxonMobil+4 morealecclimate-denialeducationdisinformationmodel-legislation+3 more
By 2000, ALEC’s membership had grown to include over 2,000 state legislators, representing approximately one-quarter to one-third of all state legislators nationwide (out of approximately 7,400 total state legislators across all 50 states). This level of penetration meant that in most state …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)State Legislatorscorporate-capturelegislative-capturealecstate-legislaturespolitical-penetration+1 more
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Board of Directors approves the “Paycheck Protection Act” in May 1998, following unanimous endorsement by ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force. The model legislation prohibits employees in both public and …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Corporate donors (104 at $1M+)state Republican legislatorsScott Walkerlabor-suppressionalecunion-bustingcampaign-financepolitical-activity+3 more
In 1996, ALEC adopted an internal business plan that explicitly redefined the organization’s purpose in commercial terms, cementing its pay-to-play structure for moving pro-corporate legislation through state legislatures. The plan stated: “ALEC must begin to function more like a …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)corporate-capturelegislative-capturealecpay-to-playcorporate-lobbying+1 more
Between 1990 and 2010, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Environment Task Force—directly funded by Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, and Peabody Energy—systematically passed over 100 model bills designed to weaken state environmental protections. The task force operated as a …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Koch IndustriesExxonMobilPeabody EnergyDuke Energy+2 morealeclegislative-captureregulatory-capturefossil-fuelsclimate-denial+3 more
In 1986, the Madison Group was established as an informal confederation of state-level think tanks and their supporters, named after the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC where they first met. This network, which would be formalized as the State Policy Network (SPN) in 1992, represented the extension …
Thomas A. RoeAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationSouth Carolina Policy CouncilHeartland Institutethink-tank-infrastructurestate-capturealec-coordinationpowell-memo-implementationcoordinated-networks
By 1984, ALEC’s corporate membership had grown so rapidly that Executive Director Kathleen Teague reported corporations were overwhelming the organization’s capacity. Major corporations supporting ALEC that year included Edison Electric Institute, Procter & Gamble Co., Mary Kay …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Kathleen TeagueEdison Electric InstituteProcter & GambleEli Lilly+5 morecorporate-capturelegislative-capturealeccorporate-membershiplobbying+1 more
In 1981, ALEC formalized its systematic corporate legislative capture mechanism by establishing seven Cabinet Task Forces that worked directly with the Reagan administration on policy development. President Ronald Reagan formed a national Task Force on Federalism headed by U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Ronald ReaganPaul LaxaltTom StiversJohn Kasichcorporate-capturelegislative-capturealecreagan-administrationstate-level-politics+2 more
Comprehensive organizational analysis exposes the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) as a systematic state legislative capture mechanism operating under 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status while functioning as corporate lobbying operation. ALEC’s structure enables corporations to directly …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Paul WeyrichHenry HydeLou BarnettCorporate membersorganizational-profilestate-legislative-capturecorporate-lobbyingmodel-legislationclosed-door-policy+2 more
Conservative activist Paul Weyrich, with Representatives Henry Hyde and others, founds the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Chicago—the same year Weyrich co-founds the Heritage Foundation with financial backing from beer magnate Joseph Coors. ALEC is established specifically to …
Paul WeyrichHenry HydeAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationJoseph Coors+1 morealecstate-capturemodel-legislationcorporate-lobbyingconservative-movement+1 more