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60-540: The Independence Institute was founded in 1985 by John Andrews , a former Republican state legislator from Colorado. Since 1999, Independence Institute has been led by Jon Caldara . The Independence Institute is a proponent of educational choice and charter schools , as well as the right to bear arms in accordance with the Second Amendment . II supported school board members in Douglas County, Colorado who became

120-475: A Louisiana state representative and ALEC national chairman, said, "We are a very, very conservative organization... We're just espousing what we really believe in." Craig Horn, a North Carolina state representative and ALEC member, said of ALEC in 2013, "It's a lightning rod organization because it has a decidedly conservative bent—there’s no doubt about it." Although ALEC originally focused on social issues such as abortion , which it opposed, in more recent years

180-589: A constitutional scholar. ALEC also has ties to the State Policy Network (SPN), a national association of conservative and libertarian think-tanks. SPN is a member of ALEC, and ALEC is an associate member of the SPN. SPN encourages its members to join ALEC, and many members of SPN are also members of ALEC. Some of the think tanks in the SPN write model legislation, which then is introduced at ALEC private meetings. ALEC

240-743: A gala event at the National Portrait Gallery . ALEC is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025 , a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election . As of December 2013, ALEC had more than 85 members of Congress and 14 sitting or former governors who were considered "alumni". The majority of

300-553: A lobbyist for Verizon Communications (previously GTE ) and as an ALEC board member. By 2011, the number of ALEC legislative members had reached 2,000, including more than 25 percent of all state legislators nationwide. Approximately 1,000 bills based on ALEC language were being introduced in state legislatures every year, with approximately 20% of those bills being enacted. Prior to 2011, ALEC's practices and its ties to specific pieces of legislation were little known outside of political circles. In July 2011, The Nation published

360-465: A memo that opposed "the current homosexual movement", portrayed homosexuality as a result of a conscious choice, and said that pedophilia was "one of the more dominant practices within the homosexual world". ALEC spokesman Bill Meierling discussed the document in 2013 and said that ALEC does not draft model bills on social issues, and added, "I'm also sad that the critics would not acknowledge that organizations change over time." Duane Parde served as

420-681: A minor seeks an abortion. Andrews' legislative achievements also included bills providing toll lanes to reduce traffic congestion and outlining a statewide water policy, and he put into law the School Sunshine Act and Colorado's Defense of Marriage Act. He was honored as National Legislator of the Year by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and received praise by the Rocky Mountain Family Council and

480-648: A model bill with the same wording. In the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, ALEC's support for Stand Your Ground laws ultimately led to the departure of high-profile corporate members such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Bank of America, and General Motors. After Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election , ALEC's internal publication (which it provides to paying members) asserted, without evidence, that voter fraud contributed to his victory. ALEC said that groups like ACORN had engaged in voter-registration fraud whereby fake voter registrations were submitted. Prior to 2012, legislation based on ALEC model bills

540-532: A networking tool among certain state legislators, allowing them to research conservative policies implemented in other states. Many ALEC legislators say the organization converts campaign rhetoric and nascent policy ideas into legislative language. ALEC's activities, while legal, received public scrutiny after news reports in 2012 from outlets such as The New York Times and Bloomberg Businessweek described ALEC as an organization that gave corporate interests outsized influence. Resulting public pressure led to

600-698: A new business activist movement in the 1970s. ALEC was co-founded by conservative activist Paul Weyrich , who also co-founded the Heritage Foundation . Henry Hyde , who later became a U.S. congressman, and Lou Barnett, who later became national political director of Ronald Reagan 's Political Action Committee, also helped to found ALEC. Early members included a number of state and local politicians who went on to statewide office, including Bob Kasten , Tommy Thompson , and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Engler of Michigan, Terry Branstad of Iowa, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, and John Boehner and John Kasich of Ohio. Several members of Congress also were involved in

660-499: A number of legislators and corporations withdrawing from the organization. In 2022, however, Insider reported that a political commentator addressing the July policy summit of ALEC stated that if the objective of the conservative constitutional convention movement that "is gaining momentum" largely out of public view is successful in its effort to rewrite the constitution , the USA will become

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720-755: A point of contention with the organization. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt remarked that ALEC was "just literally lying" about recent global climate change . Yahoo! , Uber , and Lyft also announced withdrawals later that same week. Occidental Petroleum and Northrop Grumman also cut ties with ALEC. In response to the departure of Northrop Grumman, an ALEC spokesperson said, "Like any other membership group, membership in ALEC ebbs and flows, and in 2014 we gained far more private-sector members than we lost." T-Mobile and BP severed ties with ALEC in 2015. In 2023, ALEC held its fiftieth anniversary celebrations in Washington, D.C. The celebrations included

780-566: A series of articles produced in collaboration with the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that showcased some of the ALEC model bills and described ties to the Koch family , and CMD launched a website "ALEC Exposed" that documented more than 800 of ALEC model bills, the legislators and corporations that had helped to draft them, and the states that enacted them. The joint effort, and particularly its coverage of ALEC's push for tough voter ID laws , prompted

840-498: A staff of approximately 30. ALEC's bylaws specify that "... full membership shall be open to persons dedicated to the preservation of individual liberty, basic American values and institutions, productive free enterprise, and limited representative government, who support the purposes of ALEC, and who serve, or formerly serve, as members of a state or territorial legislature, the United States Congress, or similar bodies outside

900-580: A state senator from 1998 to 2005, serving until the term limit under the Colorado Constitution. He served as minority leader 2001-2003. After leading the GOP back to majority control, he was elected as Senate President for 2003-2005. During his tenure, he helped pass bills establishing education vouchers, expanding charter schools, extending tort reform, cutting the capital gains tax, reducing union control of state employees, requiring parental notification when

960-458: Is "SPN's sister organisation" according to The Guardian . ALEC is also a member of the Atlas Network , a global organization of free-market think tanks. As of 2012, ALEC is registered as a charity in 37 states. The ALEC website states that its goal is to advance "the fundamental principles of free-market enterprise, limited government, and federalism". In 2003, Donald Ray Kennard , then

1020-520: Is a rotating position, with a new legislator appointed to the position each year. As of 2012 , 28 out of 33 of its chairs had been Republicans. ALEC has nine task forces that generate model bills that members may customize and introduce for debate in their own state legislatures. Private sector members effectively have veto power over model bills drafted by the task forces. The ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force, which promoted stand your ground gun laws and voter identification requirements ,

1080-612: Is very concerned about the potential economic impact of greenhouse gas regulation on electricity prices and the harm EPA regulations may have on the economic recovery". ALEC also has promoted a model bill that would call on the federal government to approve the proposed Keystone XL project, which would extend a synthetic crude oil pipeline from oil sands in Alberta, Canada to Nebraska. In 2013, ALEC planned legislation that would weaken state clean energy regulations and penalize homeowners who install their own solar panels and redistribute

1140-546: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , and the medical insurance group Blue Cross and Blue Shield dropped support of ALEC in the ensuing weeks or let their memberships lapse. Thirty-four legislative members also left ALEC. ALEC responded by releasing a statement describing efforts by its critics as a "campaign launched by a coalition of extreme liberal activists committed to silencing anyone who disagrees with their agenda". Doug Clopp of Common Cause credited ALEC Exposed for

1200-513: The League of Conservation Voters pointed to such behavior to accuse ALEC of denying climate change . ALEC responded by threatening legal action, denying that ALEC supports climate change denial, and saying it has more recently welcomed debate on the subject and supported renewable energy and carbon tax policies to curb global warming. Several corporations have announced that their affiliations with ALEC will be allowed to lapse over disagreement with

1260-573: The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), which was passed by Colorado voters in 1992. II opposed the Affordable Care Act . The Institute supports the use of fossil fuels . John Andrews (Colorado politician) John Andrews (born May 1, 1944) is an American former Republican politician and conservative activist who served as a Colorado state senator from 1998 to 2005, and Senate President from 2003 to 2005. Andrews previously served at

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1320-655: The counter-jihad movement. In 2016, Andrews himself cited "counter-jihad" as one of the reasons why he switched to support Donald Trump for president. During an address to the Western Conservative Summit on July 12, 2019, Andrews delivered a series of talking points that proved controversial. He claimed that organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) were engaging in "civilizational jihad" and trying to move

1380-601: The "conservative nation" ALEC has been working toward. ALEC was founded in 1973 in Chicago as the Conservative Caucus of State Legislators, a project initiated by Mark Rhoads, an Illinois state house staffer, to counter the Environmental Protection Agency , wage , and price controls , and to respond to the defeat of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election . Conservative legislators felt

1440-547: The 62 ID laws states considered during the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions, more than half were proposed by lawmakers who... were all participants in the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. In exchange for their payments of $ 50 per year in membership dues, those legislators had access to a draft proposal for strict voter ID requirements". The " Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act ", an Arizona law commonly known as "SB 1070",

1500-535: The ALEC legislative members belong to the Republican Party . Membership statistics presented at an ALEC board meeting in 2013 indicated that the 1,810 members represented 24% of all state legislative seats across the U.S., and that ALEC members represented 100% of the legislative seats in Iowa and South Dakota. It also has approximately 300 corporate, foundation, and other private-sector members. The chairmanship of ALEC

1560-699: The Centennial Institute, Andrews helped establish the Western Conservative Summit , which has been held every year since 2010 in Denver. Andrews has later served as national board chairman of former FBI agent John Guandolo 's organization Understanding the Threat, designated as an anti-Muslim "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center . The group has also been described as a part of

1620-545: The Colorado Union of Taxpayers. From 2009 until his retirement in 2015, Andrews was the director of the Centennial Institute, which sponsors events, publications, and research in public policy areas. In proclaiming "liberty throughout the land," its aim is to help Colorado Christian University (CCU) teach citizenship and to help Americans renew the spirit of 1776. The Institute was founded in 2009 by Andrews and former US Senator William Armstrong, late president of CCU. Through

1680-451: The U.S. Postal Service. Because of the Institute's pro Second Amendment stance, it supports gun rights , including the right of concealed carry . In 2013, II opposed Amendment 66, an unsuccessful ballot measure that would have increased the state's income tax by $ 950 million (which would have begun the hollowing out of Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR)). The organization supported

1740-478: The U.S. in various forms since it was drafted in 2003. The federal " Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act " has notable similarities, and at points almost verbatim language, to ALEC's model "Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act". The Senate version of the " Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act " was sponsored by Senator James Inhofe , a long-time member of ALEC. Many ag-gag bills are also similar to ALEC's model "Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act", which would make it against

1800-467: The United States to a Sharia Law based system. He also made the claim that Muslim values are inherently antithetical to American values, saying "They will tell you that a good and faithful Muslim can also be a good and faithful American. Sorry, but I don’t see how", as well as stating that the United States was engaged in a "war to the death" with two intrinsic enemies, "The name of one is Marx. The name of

1860-736: The United States. ALEC provides a forum for state legislators and private sector members to collaborate on model bills —draft legislation that members may customize and introduce for debate in their own state legislatures. ALEC has produced model bills on a broad range of issues, such as reducing regulation and individual and corporate taxation, combating illegal immigration , loosening environmental regulations , tightening voter identification rules , weakening labor unions , and opposing gun control . Some of these bills dominate legislative agendas in states such as Arizona, Wisconsin, Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Maine. Approximately 200 model bills become law each year. ALEC also serves as

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1920-500: The United States." ALEC also has a Board of Scholars that advises staff and members. The board is composed of Arthur Laffer , an economist who served on Ronald Reagan 's Economic Policy Advisory Board ; Victor Schwartz, chair of Public Policy at Shook, Hardy & Bacon ; Richard Vedder , economics professor emeritus at Ohio University and adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute ; and Rob Natelson ,

1980-498: The advocacy group Color of Change to launch a public campaign to pressure corporations to withdraw their ALEC memberships. The criticism among media outlets and political opponents was that ALEC was secretly subverting democratic institutions to further the aims of its corporate benefactors. Oregon state representative and ALEC member Gene Whisnant said in December 2011, "We're getting a lot of attention saying we're trying to destroy

2040-606: The board of directors meets. Council members include representatives from prominent corporations such as ExxonMobil , Pfizer , AT&T , SAP , State Farm Insurance and Koch Industries . ALEC statements assert that the council provides advice to the board of directors. Former ALEC co-chairman Noble Ellington said in 2011, "I really kind of think of us as one board," although he added, "It's certainly not our goal to sit there and do everything that business wants to have done." Day-to-day operations are run from ALEC's Arlington County, Virginia , office by an executive director and

2100-520: The costs associated with the criminal justice system. At that time, ALEC promoted investing taxpayer money in alternatives to incarceration, such as electronic monitoring. ALEC pushed for deregulation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. Maneuvering between two private sector members, the former energy trader, Enron , and the utilities trade association, Edison Electric Institute (EEI), resulted in EEI withdrawing its ALEC membership. Enron's position on

2160-687: The country." In 2012, ALEC was the subject of an Occupy movement protest, an Internal Revenue Service complaint by Common Cause , and calls for attorney general investigations in several states. The killing of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012, led to increased public attention on "Stand-your-ground" gun laws that ALEC had supported. Color of Change launched a new campaign in April to pressure ALEC corporate members to withdraw. More than sixty corporations and foundations, including Coca-Cola , Wendy's , Kraft Foods , McDonald's , Amazon.com , General Electric , Apple , Procter & Gamble , Walmart ,

2220-409: The earth and everything on it." ALEC staff and members promoted the organization as promoting public-private partnerships for the advancement of free market principles. ALEC senior director of membership and development Chaz Cirame said, "The hook about some conspiracy or some secret organization is a lot better story than one about bringing state legislators together to talk about best practices around

2280-612: The electricity back into the grid , whom ALEC has described as "freeriders" because they do not pay for the infrastructure costs of recirculating their generated power. Also in 2013, ALEC adopted a model bill saying that the role of human activity in causing climate change was uncertain, that man-made climate change could be "deleterious, neutral or possibly beneficial," and that the cost of regulating greenhouse gas emissions could cause "great economic dislocation." ALEC also has invited climate change deniers , such as Craig Idso , to speak at its national meetings. In 2015 Common Cause and

2340-551: The executive director from December 1996 to January 2006. Lori Roman, who served in the same role from 2006 to 2008, had an imperious style that led to financial difficulties and the departure of two thirds of ALEC's staff. According to Dolores Mertz , then a Democratic Iowa state representative and chairwoman of the ALEC board, ALEC became increasingly partisan during that period, with Roman once telling Mertz "she didn't like Democrats and she wasn't going to work with them." Ron Scheberle became executive director in 2010 after acting as

2400-968: The group has focused more on business and regulatory matters. According to John Nichols of The Nation , ALEC's agenda "seems to be dictated at almost every turn by multinational corporations. It's to clear the way for lower taxes, less regulation, a lot of protection against lawsuits, [and] ALEC is very, very active in [the] opening up of areas via privatization for corporations to make more money, particularly in places you might not usually expect like public education." A Brookings Institution study of state legislation introduced in 2011–2012 found that ALEC model bills that became law were linked most often to controversial social and economic issues. The study concluded that this phenomenon has hurt ALEC because, "Dirtying its hands with social issues undermines ALEC's ability to exercise influence over fiscal ones." According to research by Columbia University political scientist Alex Hertel-Fernandez, ALEC model legislation during

2460-464: The group's opposition to action on climate change. These include Ford , BP , Microsoft , Google and Shell . A statement by Shell said "its stance on climate change is clearly inconsistent with our own...We have long recognized both the importance of the climate challenge and the critical role energy has in determining quality of life for people across the world." An ALEC spokesperson responded "Climate change activists have conflated our opposition to

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2520-593: The largest for-profit prison companies in the U.S. (as of 2004 ), have been contributors to ALEC. ALEC also has worked to pass state laws to allow the creation of private-sector for-profit prisons. Marie Gottschalk , professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, said that ALEC has played a major role in "liberating the private sector to employ penal labor and expand the privatization of corrections." Economist Paul Krugman wrote in 2012 that ALEC had "a special interest in privatization—that is, on turning

2580-471: The late 1970s focused primarily on social issues, such as abortion, drugs, gun laws, religious freedom and anti-busing. By the 1980s, the focus was primarily on criminal justice. By the 1990s, the focus was overwhelmingly on business deregulation. Stand-your-ground laws expanded to 30 states through the support of ALEC, after Florida passed its law in 2005. After the Florida law had been passed, ALEC adopted

2640-712: The law to film, videotape, or take photographs on livestock farms in order to "defame the facility or its owner". People found to be in violation would be put in a "terrorist registry". According to Governing magazine, "ALEC has been a major force behind both privatizing state prison space and keeping prisons filled." ALEC has developed model bills advancing " tough on crime " initiatives, including " truth in sentencing " and " three strikes " laws. Critics argue that by funding and participating in ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force, private prison companies directly influence legislation for tougher, longer sentences. Corrections Corporation of America and Wackenhut Corrections , two of

2700-478: The majority there in 2009 and subsequently curtailed the power of the teachers' union, expanded school choice, and attempted to initiate a voucher system. However, a new school board majority elected in 2017 has promised to reverse many of these policies. Prior to winning election to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat, Jared Polis wrote a white paper for the institute about privatizing

2760-466: The matter was adopted by ALEC and subsequently, by many state legislatures. In 2011, ALEC adopted model legislation having to do with public " right to know " laws regarding what fluids are used in hydraulic fracturing (also known as "fracking") that was promoted as a victory for the right of consumers to know about potential drinking water contaminants , in spite of the fact that the bill contained "loopholes that would allow energy companies to withhold

2820-435: The names of certain fluid contents, for reasons including that they have been deemed trade secrets". ALEC has promoted a model bill that called plans in 2011 by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions , a "train wreck" that would harm the economy, and it has supported efforts by various states to withdraw from regional climate change compacts. In 2013, their resolution stated "Alec

2880-546: The national level as a presidential speechwriter for Richard Nixon , making the only public protest resignation from the White House staff during Watergate , and as an education appointee by Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush . He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado in 1990 , founder and president of the Independence Institute , chairman of the State Policy Network , the director of TCI Cable News,

2940-504: The organization during its early years, including Rep. Jack Kemp of New York, Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Sen. James L. Buckley of New York, Rep. Phil Crane of Illinois, and Rep Eric Cantor of Virginia. In the 1980s, ALEC opposed U.S. disinvestment from South Africa , a movement to put pressure on the South African government to embark on negotiations with a goal of dismantling apartheid . In 1985, ALEC also published

3000-582: The original host of Backbone Radio, editor of Imprimis at Hillsdale College , and a senior executive with two Christian ministries. A familiar voice in Colorado TV, radio, and newspaper commentary, he is also the author of Responsibility Reborn: A Citizen's Guide to the Next American Century (2011) and Backbone Colorado USA: Dispatches from the Divide (2015). From 2009 until his retirement in 2015, he

3060-551: The other is Mohammed". Krista Cole, vice-chair of the Colorado chapter of CAIR, denounced his speech as "Islamophobic". CAIR called for prominent political figures in attendance, including Colorado Senator Cory Gardner , Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson , and Donald Trump Jr. , to condemn the speech. Andrews went on to organize an "anti-Sharia" event later that year that featured noted European anti-Islam speakers Katie Hopkins and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff , which

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3120-484: The provision of public services, from schools to prisons, over to for-profit corporations," and as such played a significant role in the " penal–industrial complex ". As an example, Krugman wrote that the American Bail Coalition had declared publicly that ALEC was its "life preserver." By 2013, ALEC disbanded the task force that favored harsh sentencing and supported reducing prison overcrowding and lowering

3180-403: The spread of policies intended to curb sanctuary cities (jurisdictions where immigration enforcement is not a law enforcement priority). One of ALEC's model bills is the "Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act", which classifies certain property destruction, acts of intimidation, and civil disobedience by environmental and animal rights activists as terrorism . This model bill appeared across

3240-552: The successful campaign, saying that "for 40 years you couldn't get the kind of accountability we're seeing now because ALEC, its members, its legislators, its bills were secret." Former Visa Inc. lobbyist, Newt Gingrich aide, and GOPAC executive director, Lisa B. Nelson, succeeded Scheberle as CEO of ALEC in 2014. In late 2014, a number of technology-oriented companies such as Google , Microsoft , Facebook , eBay , and Yahoo! announced that they were ending their ties to ALEC. Multiple companies cited environmental concerns as

3300-475: The word "conservative" was unpopular with the public at the time, however, so the organization was renamed as, the American Legislative Exchange Council. In 1975, with the support of the American Conservative Union , ALEC registered as a federal nonprofit agency. Bill Moyers and Greenpeace have attributed the establishment of ALEC to the influential Powell Memorandum , which led to the rise of

3360-476: Was disbanded in April 2012. Thereafter, the National Center for Public Policy Research announced the creation of a voter ID task force to replace the one discontinued by ALEC. Bills drafted by the task forces must be approved by the ALEC board of directors, composed exclusively of legislators, before they are designated as model bills. ALEC also has a Private Enterprise Advisory Council, which meets whenever

3420-559: Was drafted during an ALEC meeting in December 2009 and became an ALEC model bill. Enacted in 2010, SB 1070 was described as the toughest illegal immigration law in the U.S. Portions of SB 1070 were held by the Supreme Court to be preempted by federal law in 2012. Bills similar to SB 1070 were passed in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Utah, and have been introduced in 17 other states. A 2018 study characterized ALEC as highly influential in

3480-410: Was introduced in many states to mandate or strengthen requirements that voters produce state-issued photographic identification. The bills were passed and signed into law in six states. Voter identification bills introduced in 34 states would have made voting more difficult for students, the elderly, and the poor. According to research by Columbia University political scientist Alex Hertel-Fernandez, "Of

3540-511: Was seen to display Andrews' connections to the transatlantic counter-jihad movement. The Western Conservative Summit under Andrews had previously also brought in such speakers as Geert Wilders and Frank Gaffney . American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council ( ALEC ) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in

3600-506: Was the director of the Centennial Institute, which hosts the Western Conservative Summit . Andrews was born on May 1, 1944 in Allegan, Michigan , and grew up in Buena Vista, Colorado . He served as a US Navy submarine officer after graduating from Principia College in 1966. His wife is Donna, and they have three grown children and a grandson. Andrews represented Arapahoe County as

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