It would be perfectly understandable if a citizen of California became jealous while watching the recent proceedings of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) annual summer policy conference. Via a podcast, I listened to many of the speeches and particularly enjoyed a number of interviews of ALEC members.
For those who don’t know, ALEC is a nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans. California legislators, both past and present, have been involved in the organization, including in leadership positions.
Although non-partisan, members of ALEC are overwhelmingly Republicans with only a sprinkling of Democrats and independents. According to progressives and operatives in the Democratic party, ALEC “is a pay-to-play operation that brings together state legislators, corporate lobbyists, and right-wing operatives behind closed doors to write model legislation that advances a radical right-wing, pro-corporate, and pro-Republican agenda on everything from gerrymandering and purported election fraud to crushing unions, undermining public education, and rewriting the Constitution.”
Obviously, progressives are no fans of ALEC. But their characterization is grossly unfair. For policy wonks, the seminars and speeches provided insights into efforts to make government work better at the state level. While the objectives of more responsive, efficient public services are the same, there are diverse ways to get there.
For example, on school choice, the Arizona model utilizes tax credits for donations that fund scholarships for children at private schools in that state. Donors can claim a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their Arizona tax liability.
Texas, on the other hand, has just created education saving accounts under their Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA) program. A TEFA provides parents of students in non-public Texas schools a publicly funded, government-authorized savings account with specified uses for their children’s education.
Many of the issue areas covered at the ALEC conference, like school choice, are important to ordinary citizens. (School choice is supported by 71% of voters, according to a new poll from RealClear Opinion Research, and the support crosses party lines, with 66% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans, and 69% of Independents saying they support such a policy). Rather than the fringe caricature portrayed by progressives, the policies presented at the ALEC conference are mainstream and enjoy broad support. Solutions to the challenges of a rapid increase in energy demand, criminal justice, tort reform, homelessness, inflation, and the environment are all discussed in a rational, thoughtful manner among state elected officials who simply want the best practices for their own states.
It is a shame that the majority of state legislators in California can’t address this state’s problems – which are legion – in the same rational way rather than looking for the next office to move up to or posting click bait on social media. In fact, the highest priority of California’s political elites is to propose laws and regulations designed to shut down rational solutions or to retain or expand their political power. (Or run for president.)
Will Californians ever see the day when our elected officials address the state’s problems in a sober way? Given that the statewide electorate last election cycle voted in favor of tougher criminal penalties, rejected an expansion of rent control, and rejected an effort to lower the vote threshold needed to pass local bonds, Californians are far more centrist than those sitting in the legislature.
In the meantime, organizations like ALEC take full advantage of our federalist form of government, which recognizes that the 50 states are laboratories of policy experimentation. Those experiments have resulted in better government in those states that pursue the right policies to the comparative detriment of states like California.
Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
