What is alec

Pepsi dropped out of ALEC. Rachel Burgin submitted a bill calling for the federal government to cut corporate tax rates. Burgin had forgotten to strip the ALEC boilerplate from its top.

Whereas, it read, "it is the mission of the American Legislative Exchange Council," so on and so forth. Burgin yanked the bill back a day later, but it was too late. Common Cause researcher Nick Surgey posted about it on the organization's blog. It got picked up in social media and joked about on cable news. The Martin family attorney approached the task with savvy, bringing Al Sharpton down to Florida to talk about the lack of charges against Martin's shooter. Martin's parents became vocal advocates, pushing law enforcement to bring charges in the case.

A petition also went up on Change. Started in , Change. But, as Stempeck describes, Change. Here, it was the Sanford chief of police, the state's attorney in Florida's 4th district, Florida's attorney general, and U. Then the police tapes came out, revealing more about the encounter between Martin and George Zimmerman, driving even more social media and generating more traction for the petition. As it grew to some two million signatures, the Change.

That online swell gave mainstream media a hook for a story of the death of one Florida teenager that was now weeks-old. But this wasn't just about Trayvon Martin. It has proven difficult to pinpoint how, exactly, it happened, but at some point the discussion pulled back from just Martin to the "Stand Your Ground" law that seemed to have let Zimmerman go home that night.

Upon examination, it turned out that this wasn't just Florida; Stand Your Ground had passed in recent years elsewhere. How does a bill that seems to immunize a shooter from even getting before a jury end up introduced across the country?

It quickly became clear that these new guns laws had found their start in ALEC. Because of the work ColorofChange. Our members knew who ALEC was. As so it has gone since. The trick, says those leading the ALEC campaigns, was making what once happened behind closed doors public, one way or another.

Publicity quickly changed the calculation of ALEC's value. When ALEC and its relationships are no longer secret and private, is it still the vehicle that's most beneficial? Or, as Common Causes' Clopp put it, "for 40 years you couldn't get the kind of accountability we're seeing know because ALEC, its members, its legislators, its bills were secret. ALEC, of course, says its critics are missing the whole point; it's just a forum for the discussion of free market principles dear to the private sector and to many elected officials.

It's democracy in action. But nearly inarguable is that the recent attention on the group has pushed it to adapt. In , ALEC leaders engaged in a strategic planning process to guide the ongoing success and expansion of the organization through its 45th anniversary and beyond.

These new developments will ensure ALEC grows even stronger and more effective in engaging its membership to lead national conversations on free market thought. Read the strategic plan to learn more about our future. Search Log In. Search Search. The now-infamous Castle Doctrine Act was introduced in nine chambers and was, thus, one of the more common pieces of ALEC legislation to appear in the statehouses.

The five most common ALEC model bills introduced in the state legislatures include:. Requires the disclosure of fluid used in the production of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing. It declares that a person has a right to stand his or her ground under reasonable fear of great bodily harm.

It also reduces the grounds under which law enforcement may investigate the use of deadly force under these circumstances. Declares the lack of benefit to reducing carbon emissions in the state that would adopt it, and would provide that state reasonable cover to withdraw from a regional climate initiative.

Prohibits local jurisdictions from independently enacting restrictions on the possession of firearms. This bill would also preempt the right of local jurisdictions to bring certain civil actions against firearms or ammunition manufacturers, trade associations, and dealers. Of the ALEC model bills introduced, 12 were enacted.

One additional bill passed the New Hampshire legislature only to be vetoed by the governor. However, consider the fact that, in the th session of the U. That means that bills based on ALEC policies have a survival rate nearly 5 times that of the average bill in Congress. Table 2 summarizes the ALEC policies that were passed in the session. Republicans sponsored all of the enacted bills, and 7 of those sponsors have explicit ties to ALEC.

Two states — Pennsylvania and Oklahoma — passed the Castle Doctrine. Increases protection for corporations in product liability suits, and adopts a presumption in favor of the corporate defendant when it can show compliance with governmental standards.

This research shows that the American Legislative Exchange Council wields considerable influence in state legislatures. The bills that it writes find their way into the majority of state legislatures. Moreover, the percentage of those bills that pass is strikingly high compared to the dismal rate at which all other bills are enacted into law.

Stand your Ground — has caused the organization to come under increased scrutiny from journalists, transparency groups, and voters. This has broader implications for how we think about lobbying. Consolidation of lobbying groups into broader organizations of legislators and corporations increases their reach but also creates significant hazards. Attempting to tie together such a wide range of interests undermines the ability of the umbrella organization to achieve any of its objectives.

The bigger you get, the more likely it all is to fall apart. Related Books. Related Topics U. More on U.