In Trump Era, ALEC Remains Key Conservative Player in States: Governing Magazine
"The organization has shaped state laws for 50 years. It may be at the height of its influence."
Alan Greenblatt of Governing Magazine recently covered the 52nd ALEC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.
The expansion of private school choice has been one of the greatest public policy victories of the decade thus far. Back in 2020, no state offered vouchers or other private school options to every child. Now, nearly 20 do.
It’s been an effort that required many hands, but one key actor has been the American Legislative Exchange Council, better known as ALEC. “ALEC was a big part of that,” says Patricia Rucker, a West Virginia state senator who sponsored a pioneering school choice bill. “The fact that we have an organization like ALEC, where we can share our successes and how we did it, is a big part of getting the message out.”
As if to amplify the point, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon told legislators and lobbyists gathered for ALEC’s annual meeting in Indianapolis on Wednesday that her chief of staff had informed her that when they’re looking for legislation, they “just pull it off from ALEC.”
That is the kind of influence ALEC has long had in conservative circles. Over the past half-century, ALEC — which brings together conservative state lawmakers with business groups to craft model legislation on topics ranging from tax cuts to energy expansion — has helped shape thousands of laws. “Governing is hard,” says Lisa Nelson, ALEC’s CEO. “It’s a challenge, and it’s hard. But I don’t know that any of our legislators are not eager for that role.”
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