ALEC Gets a Break From State Lobbying Laws
The American Legislative Exchange Council says it's not a lobbying group. Then why have three states specifically exempted it from their rules for lobbyists?
| Tue May. 8, 2012 3:00 AM PDT
On April 20, Common Cause submitted awhistleblower complaint to the IRS, claiming that the American Legislative Exchange Council is "a corporate lobbying group masquerading as a charity." The move was the latest salvo in progressive groups' campaign to limit the influence of ALEC, a secretive nonprofit that brings together Republican state legislators and corporations to write and promote pro-business legislation.
It could take several years for the IRS to decide whether ALEC is indeed a lobbying group required to register and disclose how much it spends on influencing legislation. But in three states—South Carolina, Indiana, and Colorado—ALEC has quietly, and by name, been specifically exempted from rules for lobbyists.
The laws in those states allow ALEC to spend millions annually hosting corporate lobbyists and legislators