ALEC Releases 23 New Model Policies from 50th Annual Meeting
New policies address pressing issues including ranked-choice voting, artificial intelligence, central bank digital currency, and keeping politics out of state pension investments.
Arlington, Va. – The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is proud to announce the release of 23 new model policies on vital issues facing the American public, including a prohibition on ranked-choice voting (RCV), fostering free market artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, and rejecting the adoption of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The new slate of model policies also includes a strengthened version of ALEC’s model that protects state pension plans from politically motivated investment practices.
These new models are now part of the vast library of more than 900 trusted policy solutions available on ALEC.org. ALEC’s annual Essential Policy Solutions publication has become a critical resource for legislators throughout the country.
“As Washington debates legislation filled with higher taxes and more regulations, the American people are looking to the states for leadership,” said Lisa B. Nelson, ALEC CEO. “With these new model policies, ALEC members have delivered trusted policy solutions to protect individual liberty and create a better life for all.”
This year’s model policies include:
Safeguard American Votes and Elections Act (SAVE Act)
In American federalism, states are the fundamental level of government. This includes primacy over state and local elections, and over many aspects of federal elections. Special interests are pushing a novel and complicated election process called ranked-choice voting (RCV; and also related systems like approval voting and STAR voting). Often they try to enact these in local jurisdictions, creating a conflict between local and state election processes. They have also introduced federal legislation to force RCV on the states. This legislation would prohibit RCV and similar systems in state or local elections.
This resolution affirms that the free market is best equipped to advance artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and protect consumers, and that state and federal regulators should enforce existing anti-discrimination and other laws against regulated entities that use AI. The resolution also rejects any attempt by federal or state governments to ban AI and undermine free market principles. Finally, the resolution expresses the sense that any federal AI regulations must emerge from the U.S. Congress, not promulgated by federal agencies.
Reject CBDCs and Protect Financial Privacy Act
This resolution opposes the adoption and development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) and resolves that state agencies will not accept or require central bank digital currency payments.
Amendments to the State Government Employee Retirement Protection Act
This model strengthens fiduciary rules to protect pensioners from politically driven investment strategies. These strategies reduce investment returns over the long term which leads to underfunding in state pension plans across the country.
“State legislators from our 50 laboratories of democracy are embracing the ALEC principles of free markets, limited government, and federalism,” said Jonathan Williams, ALEC Executive Vice President of Policy and Chief Economist. “Our model policies provide a blueprint for policymakers focused on creating more economic opportunity for every taxpayer in America.”
A report by USA Today, the Arizona Republic, and the Center for Public Integrity found that between 2010 and 2018, ALEC model bills were introduced 2,900 times across all 50 states and in Congress, with a 21% passage rate.
The American Legislative Exchange Council is the largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators in the United States. For more information about the American Legislative Exchange Council, please visit: www.alec.org.