ALEC Publishes 'Essential Policy Solutions 2025' Playbook - State-Level Corporate and Income Tax Elimination Agenda, Coordination with Federal Project 2025

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 …

Leaked Video Exposes Heritage Action's $24 Million Voter Suppression Campaign Coordinating State Legislation

A leaked video obtained by the watchdog group Documented and shared with Mother Jones revealed that Heritage Action for America, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, was orchestrating a coordinated $24 million campaign to push voter restriction legislation across eight key battleground …

Georgia SB 202 Enacts Comprehensive Voter Suppression with Multiple ALEC Provisions

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 …

440 Voter Restriction Bills Introduced in 49 States - ALEC's Largest Suppression Wave

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 …

Utah adopts ALEC model legislation requiring legislative approval for "major" agency rules

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 …

State Corporate Tax Rates Decline 33% Over Three Decades - ALEC's Interstate Race-to-Bottom Costs States $43-57 Billion Annually in Lost Revenue

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 …

Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto to Repeal Failed Tax Cuts - Republican-Controlled Legislature Rejects Supply-Side Economics After Devastating 5-Year Experiment

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 …

28 States Adopt Right-to-Work Laws, Documenting ALEC's Systematic Labor Suppression Success

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 …

Kentucky Becomes 27th Right-to-Work State in First Week of Session Using ALEC Model

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 …

West Virginia Becomes 26th Right-to-Work State, Overriding Governor Veto with ALEC Model

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 …

Oklahoma Governor Signs HB 1749 Banning State Payroll Deductions for Teachers Union Dues Despite Technical Flaws

On May 6, 2015, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed House Bill 1749 into law, prohibiting state agencies from making payroll deductions for membership dues to public employee associations that engage in collective bargaining. The legislation, which took effect November 1, 2015, specifically …

Wisconsin Becomes 25th Right-to-Work State, Completing ALEC's Union Destruction

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 …

Michigan Passes Right-to-Work in Lame Duck Surprise Using Verbatim ALEC Language

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 …

ALEC's 'Electricity Freedom Act' Systematically Attacks State Renewable Energy Standards

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 …

Kansas Governor Brownback Signs ALEC-Laffer Tax Plan Eliminating Pass-Through Business Income Taxes - 'Kansas Experiment' Becomes Test Case for Supply-Side Economics

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 …

Major Corporate Exodus from ALEC: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonald's, Wendy's, Mars, and Intuit Drop Membership After Public Pressure Campaign

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 …

Indiana Becomes 23rd Right-to-Work State Using ALEC Model Legislation

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 …

ALEC Exposed: Center for Media and Democracy and The Nation Publish Leaked Archive of 850 Corporate Model Bills

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 …

Wisconsin Act 10 Crushes Public Sector Unions Using ALEC Model Legislation

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 …

ALEC Coordinates Right-to-Work Push After 2010 GOP Midterm Wave

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 …

Arizona Passes SB 1070 Drafted by ALEC and Private Prison Companies

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 …

Arizona SB 1070 Immigration Law Drafted at ALEC Meeting with CCA Executives - Direct Quid Pro Quo for Immigrant Detention Profits

At a December 2009 meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)’s Public Safety and Elections Task Force, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce sits behind closed doors with executives from Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and lobbyists from the for-profit bail industry …

ALEC Creates Model Voter ID Legislation Following Obama Election

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 …

ALEC Launches 'Rich States, Poor States' Report with Arthur Laffer - Annual Corporate Tax Competition Manifesto to Drive Interstate Race-to-Bottom

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 …

ALEC's 'Environmental Literacy Improvement Act' Mandates Teaching Climate Denial in Schools

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 …

ALEC Membership Reaches 2,000+ State Legislators - Represents One-Quarter to One-Third of All State Legislators Nationwide

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 …

ALEC Adopts Paycheck Protection Act to Defund Democratic Party by Restricting Union Political Activity

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 …

Felon Disenfranchisement Expansion: States Tighten Voting Bans as Prison Population Explodes

Throughout the 1990s, as the prison population exploded due to War on Drugs policies and “tough on crime” legislation, states expanded and entrenched felon disenfranchisement laws, creating a new form of mass voter exclusion that disproportionately impacted Black and Latino communities. …

ALEC Adopts Business Plan to "Function More Like a Business" - Formalizes Pay-to-Play Corporate Legislative Model

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 …

ALEC Environment Task Force Passes 100+ Anti-Regulation Bills Funded by Fossil Fuel Companies

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 …

ALEC Passes Three Strikes Model Legislation Co-Sponsored by Private Prison Industry and NRA

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) serving as co-chair of its Criminal Justice Task Force, passes the “Three Strikes You’re Out Act” model legislation requiring mandatory life imprisonment after a third felony conviction. …

ALEC Corporate Membership Explodes as Major Corporations Overwhelm Organization with Requests for Legislative Access

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 …

CNP Completes "Three-Legged Stool" with Heritage and ALEC - Coordination Infrastructure Operational

By the end of 1981, Paul Weyrich had established the three core institutions that would serve as the infrastructure for conservative movement coordination for the next four decades: Heritage Foundation (policy research), ALEC (state legislation), and CNP (coordination hub).

Weyrich co-founded …

ALEC Establishes Cabinet Task Forces and Partners with Reagan's Task Force on Federalism

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 …

Edwin Feulner Becomes Heritage Foundation President, Beginning 36-Year Tenure Building Conservative Policy Infrastructure

Edwin J. Feulner Jr., co-founder of the Heritage Foundation in 1973, assumed the presidency of the conservative think tank in 1977, beginning what would become a transformative 36-year tenure that built Heritage from a modest Capitol Hill operation with 9 staff members into the preeminent …

ALEC Founded to Coordinate Corporate Model Legislation Across State Legislatures

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 …