American Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange (ALICE)

The American Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange, or ALICE, is a one-stop, web-based, public library of progressive law on a wide range of issues in state and local policy. As our name may suggest, ALICE may be understood as a very partial antidote to ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), the corporate-backed group that has for nearly 40 years provided model state law and connection to corporate lobbyists to its nearly 2,000 state legislator members.

Like ALEC, ALICE is a values-based nonprofit and offers model legislation over a broad range of state and local issues. But we’re easily distinguished from our counterpart. Our values are to promote, not destroy, economic fairness, environmental sustainability, and effective democratic government. Our model laws are public, not secret. They’re written by public interest advocates and volunteers, not paid corporate lobbyists. They cover local, not just state, policy. They include law originating from the executive branch and directly from citizens, as well as from legislative bodies. And ALICE only provides such model law and written supports for its persuasive communication. We won’t subsidize the fancy junkets for state legislators that ALEC is famous for. And we won’t compete with, and are no substitute for, the many groups now working to build other elements of the “political infrastructure” needed for effective progressive state and local politics. ALICE only aims to supply a small, if vital, part of that infrastructure: model and exemplary laws that progressives might actually want to enact.