The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a non-profit organization based in the United States that advocates for [conservative](https://doctorparadox.net/mental-self-defense/the-conservative-mind/) policies and limited government. The organization was founded in 1973 and is primarily composed of conservative state legislators, business leaders, and other activists. The ALEC promotes its goals by developing model legislation and policy proposals on a wide range of issues, including taxation, healthcare, education, and environmental regulation. The organization distributes these model policies to its members, who can then introduce them in their own state legislatures or advocate for them in other venues. Critics of the ALEC argue that the organization promotes [policies that benefit wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of the broader public](https://doctorparadox.net/category/politics/wealth-vs-government/), and that its advocacy of [[deregulation]] and tax cuts (i.e. [trickle down economics](https://doctorparadox.net/gop-myths/trickle-down-economics/)) can lead to harmful consequences for workers and the environment. Some have also raised concerns about the organization's lack of transparency and its close ties to corporate interests. ALEC is a powerful yet shadowy force in conservative politics, [dark money](https://doctorparadox.net/dictionaries/authoritarianism/dark-money/), and policymaking, and its model legislation has been influential in shaping public policy at the state and national levels. See also: [[Council for National Policy (CNP)]], [[Charles Koch]]