American Legislative Exchange Council

Leaked internal documents reveal new insights into the goals and finances of the America Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC brings together stat legislators and representatives of corporations to develop model bills that lawmakers try to pass in their state legislatures.

A group called ALEC — the American Legislative Exchange Council — "is at the forefront of an effort to push business-friendly, conservative legislation at the state level," says reporter John Nichols. He discusses what recently leaked documents reveal about the organization.

Louisiana state Rep. Noble Ellington is the national chairman of ALEC, a membership-only group that brings together state legislators, interest groups and corporate representatives to draft model bills. He responds to a series of pieces about the organization recently published in The Nation.