The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is a nonpartisan, ideologically conservative [1], non-profit 501(c)(3) membership association of state legislators and private sector policy advocates. Among other activities, the group develops "model laws" for state legislatures and serves as an easy-networking tool for fellow legislators to research how certain policy projects and problems have been handled in other states. ALEC has approximately 2,400 members including approximately one-third of all state legislators in the United States, as well as 85 members of Congress who are considered "ALEC alumni". While the alumni elected to the United States Congress and as governors are almost exclusively Republican [2] [3], one third of ALEC's legislative members is comprised of members of the Democratic Party. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... GOP redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic...

ALEC's mission statement is to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty, through a non-partisan, public-private partnership between America’s state legislators and concerned members of the private sector, the federal government and the general public. Look up mission statement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... For theological federalism, see Covenant Theology. ...

The council was founded in 1973 by conservative political activist Paul Weyrich (who served as its treasurer from 1981 through 1992), Henry Hyde, Lou Barnett and others as a national network of state legislators working on issues such as opposition to abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. By the 1990s ALEC had become an influential organization underwritten by contributions from various corporations. One of ALEC's former directors of public affairs was Judy Petty, a former Arkansas legislator best known for her congressional challenge to the late Wilbur D. Mills. Paul M. Weyrich (born October 7, 1942, in Racine, Wisconsin) is a US conservative political activist and commentator. ... For other persons named Henry Hyde, see Henry Hyde (disambiguation). ... The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution intended to guarantee equal rights under the law for Americans regardless of sex. ... For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... Judy C. Petty, later Judy Petty Wolf (born September 4, 1943), is a retired officer of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Wilbur Daigh Mills (1909-1992), was a powerful Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Arkansas. ...

ALEC no longer focuses on issues relating to social conservatism, choosing instead to pursue its goals of free markets and individual liberty that are more able to draw a bipartisan alliance and achieve cooperation nation-wide [4].

There are currently nine task forces, addressing a wide variety of public policy issues: Civil Justice; Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development; Criminal Justice and Homeland Security; Education; Health and Human Services; Natural Resources; Tax and Fiscal Policy; Telecommunications and Information Technology.

ALEC has over three hundred corporate sponsors. Some corporations and trade groups that have supported ALEC include: American Nuclear Energy Council, American Petroleum Institute, Coors Brewing Company, Texaco, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, VISA, Exxon Mobil, the National Rifle Association, Amway, and others. Groups critical of ALEC claim that the organization is controlled by the entities that fund it, subsequently promoting donors' agendas and goals, along with attempting to advance legislation which favors their interests.^[1] The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the main U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, representing about 400 corporate members involved in all aspects of the industry. ... Coors may refer to: People Adolph Coors (1847-1929) started brewery Adolph Coors III grandson was kidnapped and murdered Pete Coors Things Adolph Coors Company of Golden, Colorado Coors Brewing Company Coors Field This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. ... Altria Group, Inc. ... Visa or VISA has several meanings: Look up visa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Visa (document) — a document required to enter a specific country. ... Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), headquartered in Irving, Texas, is an oil producer and distributor formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights... Headquarters in Ada, Michigan Amway is a multi-level marketing, or network marketing, company founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos. ...

Other critics, such as Joan Bokaer, describe ALEC as "a blend of traditional values conservatives with corporate money" where "social conservatives have the ability to get legislators elected by mobilizing through the megachurches, and corporations supply big funding and gain the ability to actually draft the bills presented in state assemblies."^[2] People for the American Way describes ALEC as "a right-wing public policy organization with strong ties to major corporations, trade associations and right-wing politicians" with an agenda that "includes rolling back civil rights, challenging government restrictions on corporate pollution, limiting government regulations of commerce, privatizing public services, and representing the interests of the corporations that make up its supporters."^[3] The interior of Rev. ... People For the American Way (PFAW) is a liberal, self described progressive advocacy organization in the United States. ...

The chairmanship of ALEC is a rotating position, with a new legislator appointed to the position each year. The current chair of ALEC is Representative Delores Mertz, a Democratic Party member of the Iowa House of Representatives. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic...

Global warming

ALEC was a member organization of the now defunct Cooler Heads Coalition, which played a role in the global warming controversy by promoting a view that the fear of global warming is promoted more often by the media than by scientific facts. The Cooler Heads Coalition was a project of the National Consumer Coalition, itself a project of the 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit organization Consumer Alert. ... The global warming controversy is a dispute regarding the nature and consequences of global warming. ...

References

People For the American Way (PFAW) is a liberal, self described progressive advocacy organization in the United States. ...

External links

• ALEC
• ALECWatch
• Boston, Rob. "The Theocratic Agenda Is Heading for a Statehouse Near You", 2007-03-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-11. 
• Right Wing Watch, American Legislative Exchange Council