Introduction
More than any year in recent memory, 2021 demonstrated how everyday Americans are directly impacted by policies at the state and local level. When questions arose about when indoor dining would reopen, whether police forces would receive the support of the communities around them or how much input parents should have in their children’s education, the answers to those uncertainties primarily came from local representation. Members of those communities depended on their elected officials to find the best possible solutions for their challenges.
This past year, state leaders across the country tackled issues on education and school choice, tax reform, e-commerce, energy, supply chain shortages, inflation, international trade, criminal justice reform and more—issues that were too big and too important to get wrong.
In 2021, the American Legislative Exchange Council worked tirelessly alongside lawmakers from all 50 states to help find solutions to the biggest challenges facing Americans in the wake of the pandemic. We have and continue to provide resources and create opportunities that allow lawmakers to work collaboratively with their peers and empower them with the tools needed to develop state-based solutions their constituents so desperately need.
Our Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City and our States and Nation Policy Summit in San Diego were tremendous successes, as we welcomed national leaders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, as well as representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project, providing legislators with the connections necessary to support our veterans as they return home. With the leadership of ALEC supporters such as economist Stephen Moore, we worked with the “Save Our Country” coalition, which helped defeat proposals from the Biden administration that would have exacerbated the overbearing regulatory environment that has already led to record inflation, not to mention sluggish wage and job growth.
ALEC is here to foster and find solutions that impact the realities of everyday life in America. We work to create an environment that sparks innovative thought and infuses new energy in a world that is forever changing. The states will always be the laboratories of democracy, and in 2022, ALEC will continue serving as a home for state legislators looking for public policies that support limited government, free markets and federalism.
Sincerely,
Lisa B. Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
American Legislative Exchange Council