ALEC in Idaho

A letter sent to ALEC on Nov. 3, 2014 by Deputy Attorney General Blair D. Jaynes informing the organization that it would be assessed a penalty of more than $6,000 for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for its Idaho employees.

The word ” shadowy ” comes up a lot in descriptions of the American Legislative Exchange Council. The self-described “public-private partnership” has since 1973 teamed lawmakers, including members of the Idaho Legislature, with corporate interests to craft bills friendly to its stated “nonpartisan” ideology of “limited government, free markets, federalism and individual liberty.”

For much of its 42-year history, ALEC has kept a low profile—its so-called “model bills” quietly working their way into law at statehouses around the country. By its own admission, the nonprofit membership organization—which has included some of the biggest corporations in the United States—has been successful: More than 1,000 of its bills are introduced by member legislators each year, with one in five ending up in statute. Read more . Zach Haggedon, BW