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American Legislative Exchange Council
| American Legislative Exchange Council | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Arlington, Va. |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Lisa B. Nelson, CEO |
| Year founded: | 1973 |
| Website: | Official website |
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a national nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit member organization. The group's website said it is "a forum for stakeholders to exchange ideas and develop real, state-based solutions to encourage growth, preserve economic security and protect hardworking taxpayers."[1] ALEC is organized into task forces and policy centers and the organization works with legislators and private sector officials to produce model legislation on a range of issues.[1]
Background
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was founded in September 1973 by former Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), conservative activist Paul Weyrich and Lou Barnett, who worked for former President Ronald Reagan's (R) 1968 presidential campaign.[2] Through the 1980s, ALEC developed task forces to work on policy proposals that states could use to make legislation.[3]
Leadership
As of August 2025, the executive team of the American Legislative Exchange Council was as follows:[4]
- Lisa B. Nelson, chief executive officer
- Lisa Bowen, chief operating office and chief financial officer
- Jonathan Williams, president and chief economist
- Courtney Cook, senior vice president, events
- Lee Schalk, senior vice president, Policy
As of August 2025, the following individuals made up the board of directors of ALEC:[5]
Work and activities
Legislative and policy activities
Model language work
ALEC's website said it is "the nation's largest nonpartisan, individual membership association of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism."[1]
ALEC provides model policies on a range of issues.[6] As of August 2025, ALEC had over 1,000 model policies on its website.[6]
According to the Center for Public Integrity, bills based on ALEC's models were introduced nearly 2,900 times between 2010 and 2018.[7]
ALEC approaches each of these issues through its 11 task forces, which focus on particular groups of policies.[8] The task forces include legislators and private sector members.
Each of ALEC's 11 taskforces produces model policies, which are then approved by the group's board.[2] In July 2025, the ALEC Board of Directors approved 44 new model policies.[9]
Policy centers
ALEC also has five policy centers that address certain areas of policy.[10]
Center for International Freedom
The Center for International Freedom "empowers leaders in nations where freedom is under threat, and develops policy resources that champion international liberty." It works with lawmakers in the United States and countries around the world "on the importance of rule of law, strong democratic institutions, and civil society," as well as trade and economic issues.[11]
Center to Protect Free Speech
The Center to Protect Free Speech's goal is to "educate legislators and concerned citizens regarding the importance of free speech" and promote policies in three areas: campus speech, donor privacy, and commercial speech.[12]
Center for Innovation & Technology
The Center for Innovation & Technology website states that the center "provides state lawmakers with guides, data, research and a structure to imagine and create a plan of action for how innovation could benefit their states."[13]
Center for State Fiscal Reform
ALEC's Center for State Fiscal Reform's mission is to provide "policymakers with dependable economic and fiscal policy research to solve public policy challenges and produce better economic outcomes for all Americans." It provides research and testimony on tax, budget, and pension issues.[14]
Center to Restore the Balance of Government
The Center to Restore the Balance of Government focuses on federalism and aims to "help realize the goals articulated in the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution." The center examines policies with the idea that "decisions that impact individual, local communities should be made by at the local level." It works to "provide tools for state lawmakers to set priorities for state control over state issues."[15]
Policy reports
- See also: ALEC Rich States, Poor States Report
The group also publishes articles and research papers on policy issues.[16] That includes a comparison of states on education and energy issues.[17][18]
ALEC also releases an annual report entitled Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, which analyzes economic competitiveness in each state. The report is authored by Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore, a senior visiting fellow in economics at the Heritage Foundation), and Jonathan Williams, president and chief economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council. The report seeks to note which states' policies might produce economic growth and which states' policies might inhibit economic growth.[19]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the American Legislative Exchange Council's revenue and expenses for 2017-2022:
| Tax Year | Total Revenue | Total Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2022[20] | $10,104,204 | $9,480,356 |
| 2021[20] | $9,832,106 | $8,596,965 |
| 2020[21] | $7,978,103 | $7,213,865 |
| 2019[21] | $9,187,421 | $9,160,748 |
| 2018[22] | $9,357,918 | $9,238,668 |
| 2017[22] | $10,352,239 | $10,237,195 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms American Legislative Exchange Council. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
- ALEC on Twitter
- ALEC on YouTube
- ALEC on Facebook
- ALEC on Linkedin
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ALEC, "About," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Encyclopedia Britannica, "American Legislative Exchange Council," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "History," archived December 20, 2015
- ↑ ALEC, "ALEC Staff," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Leadership," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 ALEC, "Model Policies," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ Center for Public Integrity, "What is ALEC? ‘The most effective organization’ for conservatives, says Newt Gingrich," April 4, 2019
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Task Forces," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "New ALEC Model Policies from the 52nd Annual Meeting," August 20, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Policy Centers," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "Center for International Freedom," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "Center to Protect Free Speech," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Center for Innovation & Technology," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Center for State Fiscal Reform," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Center to Restore the Balance of Government," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "Publications," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "2025 ALEC Index of State Education Freedom: A 50-State Guide to Parental Empowerment," January 23, 2025
- ↑ ALEC, "Energy Affordability Report," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, "Rich States, Poor States 2025," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Internal Revenue Service , "American Legislative Exchange Council 2022 990 Form," accessed August 28, 2025
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Internal Revenue Service , "American Legislative Exchange Council 2020 990 Form," accessed August 13, 2025
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Internal Revenue Service, "American Legislative Exchange Council 2018 990 Form," accessed August 28, 2025
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