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
Following Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss and false claims of widespread fraud, ALEC developed new model election legislation to give Trump’s “Big Lie” systematic legislative form across states. The organization partnered with Heritage Action and the State Policy Network to …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Heritage FoundationHeritage ActionState Policy NetworkRepublican state legislatorsALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationbig-lieTrump+3 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
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 Shelby County v. Holder decision striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, ALEC-affiliated states began implementing voter suppression laws that had been previously blocked by federal preclearance requirements. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott …
Texas Attorney General Greg AbbottNorth Carolina LegislatureAmerican Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Supreme CourtALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationvoting-rightsShelby-County+2 more
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a nonprofit organization bringing together state legislators and corporate representatives, continued operating its model legislation system where corporate lobbyists receive “equal voice and vote” with elected officials in drafting …
American Legislative Exchange CouncilState LegislaturesKoch IndustriesExxonMobilregulatory-capturelobbyingcorporate-corruptionlegislative-capturealec
Following the 2010 Republican wave that gave the GOP control of both legislative chambers in twenty-six states, at least 34 states introduced nearly identical voter ID bills in the 2011 legislative session. The bills used ALEC’s 2009 model “Voter ID Act” template language, …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Republican state legislatorsHeritage FoundationState Policy NetworkALECvoter-suppressionelectoral-manipulationcorporate-influencestate-capture+3 more
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) distributed model bills in 2010 designed to kill regional climate pacts like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in New England and the mid-Atlantic, marking a strategic shift from federal to state-level climate denial efforts. ALEC activist …
American Legislative Exchange CouncilKoch IndustriesExxonMobilClint WoodsRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative+1 moreclimate-denialaleclegislative-capturefossil-fuelsmodel-legislation+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
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 Legislators (2,000+ members)corporate-capturelegislative-capturealecstate-legislaturespolitical-penetration+1 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
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
ALEC’s executive director actively sought funding from the Tobacco Institute trade group, beginning a lucrative partnership that would provide legislative influence for the tobacco industry. This early corporate capture model would become the template for ALEC’s expansion into multiple …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Tobacco InstituteALEC Executive Directoralectobacco-industrytobacco-institutecorporate-capturelegislative-influence+1 more
The American Legislative Exchange Council officially registered as a federal nonprofit agency in 1975 with support from the American Conservative Union, moving from Chicago to Washington D.C. under Paul Weyrich’s leadership. This transition marked ALEC’s evolution from a state …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Paul WeyrichAmerican Conservative Unionalecnonprofitpaul-weyrichwashington-dcconservative-movement+1 more
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was founded in Chicago as the Conservative Caucus of State Legislators, initiated by Mark Rhoads with key involvement from Paul Weyrich. The organization was designed to create a systematic vehicle for corporate and conservative influence over …
Mark RhoadsPaul WeyrichHenry HydeState LegislatorsCorporate Memberscapture-cascadeblueprintalecstate-legislationmodel-bills+2 more
Creation of ALEC as systematic vehicle for corporate influence over state-level legislation. Organization provides platform for corporations to draft model legislation and coordinate with state legislators, representing advanced form of institutional capture through “pay-to-play” …
American Legislative Exchange CouncilState LegislatorsCorporate Memberscapture-cascadeblueprintalecstate-legislationmodel-bills