The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a corporately-funded group, consisting of conservative state lawmakers and company lobbyists, that composes model bills to disperse to its hundreds of corporate members. This corporate “bill mill” provides model bills to companies as tentative outlines that the companies can amend in order to fit their own interests in a certain state.
There are about 2,000 legislative members and over 300 corporate members in ALEC. ALEC generates extravagant amounts of money from corporate membership fees. Companies pay anywhere from $7,000 to $25,000 annually with additional fees from $2,500 to $10,000 should they want a seat on a legislative task force. The task forces are deliberative groups that organize the model bills’ drafting.
Political influence that’s been facilitated by corporate spending has allowed hundreds of ALEC-created bills to be introduced and passed through the country’s state legislatures. The bills serve corporate interests as they tend to undermine workers’ rights, circumvent environmental protection laws, limit patent rights for pharmaceutical companies, and encourage for-profit educational systems. The people and the environment always end up the losers as a result of these ALEC model bills.
Recent legislative efforts involving ALEC are two fracking chemical disclosure bills that are making their way through the Florida state legislature. One of the bills, the Fracturing Chemical Usage Act (HB 71), will require fracking companies that wish to drill in the state to disclose the chemicals used in the drilling process. However, HB 71 comes with a companion bill. The Public Record/Fracturing Chemical Usag Disclosure Act (HB 157) essentially nullifies HB 71 as it lists fracking chemicals as trade secrets exempted from public disclosure.
Those bills would allow energy companies to ravage the state of Florida freely and without accountability. Similar legislation was passed in Texas nearly three years ago and was sponsored by ExxonMobil. Exxon and hundreds of similarly destructive corporations manipulate the legislative system with help from ALEC and associated conservative lawmakers.
The following is a list of companies that are ALEC members. The list was provided by CommonCause.org and has been updated to reflect remaining members as of September 2013. The list notes the corporations involved, where they are based, and the specific legislative task force with whom they are associated.
|
Corporation |
Headquarters |
ALEC Task Force Membership |
|
1-800 Contacts, Inc. |
UT |
Health and Human Services |
|
Allergan, Inc. |
CA |
Health and Human Services |
|
Altria Client Services |
VA |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development , Civil Justice, Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
American Electric Power Company Inc. |
OH |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
AMERIGROUP Corporation |
DC |
Health and Human Services |
|
AOL Inc. |
NY |
Tax and Fiscal Policy; Communications and Technology |
|
Apotex Corp. |
FL |
Health and Human Services |
|
Arduin, Laffer & Moore Econometrics, LLC |
FL |
Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Astellas Pharma US, Inc. |
IL |
Health and Human Services |
|
AstraZeneca Inc. |
London, UK |
Health and Human Services |
|
AT&T |
DC |
Communications and Technology, Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Bayer |
Leverkusen, Germany |
Civil Justice; Energy, Environment, and Agriculture; Health and Human Services |
|
Bayer HealthCare |
Leverkusen, Germany |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture; Health and Human Services |
|
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
CT |
Health and Human Services |
|
BP |
London, UK |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Celgene Corporation |
NJ |
Health and Human Services |
|
CenturyLink |
LA |
Communications and Technology |
|
Charter Communications |
MO |
Communications and Technology |
|
Chevron |
CA |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Cloud Peak Energy |
CO |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC |
MS |
Communications and Technology, Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Con-way |
MI |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Continental Resources, Inc. |
OK |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Corinthian Colleges, Inc. |
CA |
Education |
|
Cox Communications |
GA |
Communications and Technology |
|
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. |
TN |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Crown Cork & Seal |
PA |
Civil Justice |
|
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. |
NJ |
Health and Human Services |
|
DCI Group, LLC |
DC |
Communications and Technology |
|
Dezenhall Communications Mgmt. Group, LTD |
DC |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Diageo North America, Inc. |
MD |
Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Dominion Resources Services Inc. |
VA |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Duke Energy Corporation |
NC |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
EBay Inc. |
CA |
Communications and Technology |
|
Eli Lilly and Company |
IN |
Health and Human Services |
|
Energy Future Holdings |
TX |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
ExxonMobil Corporation |
TX |
Civil Justice, Energy, Environment, and Agriculture, Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Farmers Insurance Group/Companies |
CA |
Civil Justice |
|
FedEx Corporation |
TX |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Georgia-Pacific Corporation |
GA |
Civil Justice |
|
Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company |
IL |
Health and Human Services |
|
Honeywell International |
NJ |
Civil Justice |
|
Insight Schools |
OR |
Education |
|
International Paper |
TN |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
J.R. Simplot Company |
ID |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
K12 Inc. |
VA |
Education |
|
Koch Companies Public Sector |
WI |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture; Civil Justice; Public Safety and Elections; Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
LKQ/Keystone Automotive |
IL |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
LogistiCare Solutions, LLC |
GA |
Health and Human Services |
|
Marathon Oil Company |
TX |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
MDU Resources Group, Inc. |
ND |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
MedImmune, Company of AstraZeneca |
MD |
Health and Human Services |
|
Microsoft Corporation |
WA |
Communications and Technology |
|
MV VeriSol |
SC |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) |
TN |
Civil Justice |
|
National Heritage Academies |
MI |
Education |
|
Norfolk Southern Corporation |
VA |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Novartis Corporation |
NJ |
Health and Human Services |
|
NV Energy, Inc. |
NV |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Occidental Oil & Gas Co. |
CA |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Occidental Petroleum Corporation |
CA |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Orchid Cellmark
|
OH |
Public Safety and Elections |
|
PacifiCorp |
OR |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Parquet Public Affairs |
FL |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Peabody Energy |
MO |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Pfizer Inc |
NY |
Civil Justice; Health and Human Services |
|
Pinnacle West Capital Corp. |
AZ |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
Purdue Pharma L.P. |
CT |
Health and Human Services |
|
Qwest Communications International Inc. |
CO |
Communications and Technology |
|
ResCare |
MD |
Health and Human Services |
|
Reynolds American Inc. |
NC |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development ; Health and Human Services; International/Federal Relations; Public Safety and Elections; Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Salt River Project |
AZ |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
SAP America, Inc. |
PA |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development ; Communications and Technology |
|
Security Finance Corporation |
SC |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development ; Civil Justice |
|
Shell Oil Company |
TX |
Energy, Environment, and Agriculture |
|
State Farm Insurance Companies |
IL |
Civil Justice; Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
T-Mobile USA |
WA |
Communications and Technology |
|
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. |
IL |
Health and Human Services |
|
TEVA Pharmaceuticals |
PA |
Health and Human Services |
|
Texas Roadhouse |
TX |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
Time Warner Cable |
NY |
Tax and Fiscal Policy; Communications and Technology |
|
United Parcel Service |
GA |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development |
|
US Oncology |
TX |
Health and Human Services |
|
Verizon Communications |
NY |
Communications and Technology; Tax and Fiscal Policy |
|
Wine Institute |
DC |
Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development ; Public Safety and Elections |
|
Yahoo! Inc. |
CA |
Communications and Technology |
