ALEC Task Forces

Until 2012, the American Legislative Exchange Council had nine task forces, each with a legislative and corporate chair.

Below is a list of each task force, its co-chairs, and its corporate and political members. Click on the name of the task force in the header for more detailed information about each task force.

Civil Justice Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Senator Bill Seitz (R-Ohio), Public Sector Chair


 * Co-Chair: Victor Schwartz, Private Sector Chair; (Chairman, Public Policy Group at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.) and registered lobbyist for Peabody Energy, Eli Lilly & Co, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - An international law firm with branches in the United States and internationally, with headquarters in Kansas City, MO. Shook, Hardy & Bacon has expertise in corporate litigation related to climate change, nanotechnology and pressures on global water supplies as well as in tort reform. They represent coal and other energy industry companies against regulation of carbon pollution. Philip Morris, now Altria Group, is a longtime client ; as are pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Company, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Guidant and Wyeth ; Sprint Nextel ; and Microsoft . In 2010, Shook, Hardy & Bacon's PAC gave $5,400 to Republicans and $500 to Democrats . In addition to Victor Schwartz's active participation in ALEC activities, fellow partners Mark Behrens and Phil Goldberg have been Advisors to ALEC's Civil Justice Task Force.
 * Staff Director: Amy Kjose
 * Corporate Members include:
 * The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)
 * The Foundation for Fair Civil Justice
 * Shell Oil Company
 * Kirk Dillard (Illinois State Senator and Partner, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP), Chair, 2008 Civil Justice Task Force Spring Summit
 * Charles E. Ross (Shareholder Attorney, Wise Carter Child & Caraway, P.A.), Advisor, former "Public Sector Advisor"
 * Politicians on the Civil Justice Task Force include:
 * Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-KS), Civil Justice Task Force Executive Committee member
 * Del. William (Bill) Howell (R-VA), Former "Public Sector Chairman" (2010)
 * Scott Pruitt (Oklahoma Attorney General, former Republican State Senator of Oklahoma), Former "Public Sector Chairman" (2004)
 * Marvin Kleeb (R-KS), Member
 * Justin Amash (R-MI), Member
 * Sen. Dennis D. Pyle (R-KS), Member
 * Rep. Michael R. O'Neal (R-KS), Member
 * Sen. Debra Plowman (R-ME), Member
 * Sen. Adam Driggs (R-AZ), Member
 * Rep. Jan Angel (R-WA), Member (2009-2010)
 * Judge Richard A. Bandstra (Michigan 3rd Court of Appeals through January 2003), Former "Public Sector Chairman" (year unknown) when he was a Michigan state representative from Grand Rapids (1985-1994)
 * Gregory A. Brower (United States Attorney for the District of Nevada, former Nevada State Legislator), Former Member

Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Representative Glenn Vaad (R-Colorado), Public Sector Chair
 * Co-Chair: Emory Wilkerson, Private Sector Chair ; State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the largest seller of auto insurance in the U.S. It also sells property/casualty, home and life insurance. State Farm is also in the banking business with State Farm Bank offering financial products through State Farm agents, according to its Hoovers profile. It had a net income in 2010 of $1.8 billion, up from $777 million in 2009. Its CEO, Ed Rust, made $10.2 million in the same year. Open Secrets' latest information about State Farm is from 2008. That year, State Farm gave a combined total of $4.1 million in federal and state political contributions.  *Staff Director: Courtney O'Brien
 * Corporate Members include:
 * The Heartland Institute
 * The Reason Foundation
 * The International Franchise Association
 * Macquarie Capital Advisors USA Inc.
 * Cintra USA (Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, one of the largest private developers of transport infrastructure in the world)
 * Politicians on the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force include:
 * Susan Lynn (R-TN), Former Public Sector Chair
 * Dawn Pettengill (R-IA)
 * Ron Richard (R-MO)
 * Susan Krebs (R-MD)

Executive Committee

 * Neil Alldredge (Vice President of State and Regulatory Affairs Division for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)), Co-Chair, Transportation Subcommittee
 * Jamie Clark (American Bank Association)
 * Ed Conklin (Senior Director of government relations for McDonald's Corp.), Chairman
 * Bill Primeaux (Manager of Government Affairs, FedEx)
 * Ted Scott (Director of Special Projects at the American Trucking Association (ATA)), Co-Chair, Transportation Subcommittee
 * Pat Thomas (United Parcel Service (UPS))

Subcommittees

 * Financial Services
 * Labor and Business Regulation
 * Transportation and Infrastructure

Communications and Technology Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Representative Blair Thoreson (R-North Dakota), Public Sector Chair.
 * Co-Chair: Bartlett Cleland (Director, IPI Center for Technology Freedom, Institute for Policy Innovation), registered lobbyist for the Technology Association of America, previously a registered lobbyist for the Information Technology Association of America and Americans for Tax Reform, Private Sector Chair. The Institute for Policy Innovation is a Texas-based think tank founded by Dick Armey that Politico describes as "known for its economic analysis of pending and proposed changes in tax policy, with its emphasis on free markets, limited government, supply-side economics and dynamic scoring. IPI focuses on issues of taxation, technology, education reform, and government regulation." The Center for Technology Freedom was created when Bartlett Cleland joined IPI. On its website, IPI states that it is funded "wholly by contributions from individuals, businesses and other non-profit foundations." According to its 2009 Form 990, IPI received almost $1 million in donations and foundation grants.
 * Staff Director: John Stephenson
 * Corporate members include:
 * Comcast
 * Politicians on the Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force include:
 * Eric Koch (R-IN)
 * Phil Montgomery (R-WI; Secretary, ALEC Board of Directors)

Subcommittees

 * Joint Working Group on 21st Century Commerce and Taxation
 * Model Legislation Review Working Group

Education Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Rep. Greg Forristall (R-IA), Public Sector Chair as of October 2012.
 * Co-Chair: was Mickey Revenaugh (Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Connections Academy), Private Sector Chair. Connections Academy is a division of Connections Education LLC, a private school based in Baltimore, MD that offers free online public school through contracts with charter schools, school districts, or governmental entities. The contracted schools have a lower graduation rate than traditional public schools. Sylvan Ventures started Connections Academy in 2001. The company started its first schools in 2001, and in 2004, Connections Academy was sold to Apollo Management, L.P. Apollo Management "has some $68 billion of assets under management, spread among its private equity, capital markets, and real estate segments. It specializes in buying distressed businesses and turning them around and has had some of its biggest successes investing during economic downturns," according to its Hoovers profile. Connections Academy cut ties with ALEC in 2012. See Corporations Which Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
 * Co-Chair: was Senator David Casas (R-Georgia), Public Sector Chair as of April 2012.
 * Staff Director: Dave Myslinski
 * Corporate Members include:
 * Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
 * The Washington Policy Center
 * The Goldwater Institute
 * The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA)
 * Politicians on the Education Task Force include:
 * Nancy Spence (R-CO), Former Public Sector Chair

Subcommittees

 * Special Needs Subcommittee
 * Subcommittee on Science Fraud in the Classroom (or Subcommittee on Junk Science)
 * Higher Education Subcommittee
 * School Choice Subcommittee
 * Working Group on Transparency (joint with the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
 * K-12 Education Reform Subcommittee

Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Representative David Wolkins (R-Indiana), Public Sector Chair


 * Co-Chair: Martin Shultz, Private Sector Co-Chair. Senior Policy Director, Government Relations Group, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, and formerly Vice President of Government Affairs, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is a corporate law firm with offices in Albuquerque, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Fe and Washington D.C. In 2010, Open Secrets shows that the firm's PAC raised $329,335 and spent $157,239 on House and Senate politicians. Individual donors, mostly employees, gave $160,879 to the PAC.
 * Former Co-Chair: Tom Moskitis (Managing Director of External Affairs, American Gas Association), Registered Lobbyist, American Gas Association, Private Sector Co-Chair. The American Gas Association is a coalition that represents natural gas-- or "fracking"-- companies. AGA has 501(c)(3) status and actively lobbies for pro-drilling legislation in state and federal government. "Fracking"-- or hydraulic fracturing, for natural gas has been linked to polluting the wells of the people living near drill sites. The AGA PAC spent a total of $435,142 in political contributions in 2010.
 * Corporate Members include:
 * The Mackinac Center for Public Policy
 * The Carpet and Rug Institute, International Paper
 * The National Taxpayers Union
 * The Center for Tenth Amendment Studies
 * The Center for Energy and the Environment

Past Chairs:
 * 2006-2008 Public Sector Chair: Rep. John Piscopo, Connecticut
 * 2006-2008 Private Sector Chair: Kelly Mader, Peabody Energy
 * 2003-2005 Public Sector Chair: Georgia Senator Joseph Brush
 * 2003-2005 Private Sector Chair: Greg Merrill, Chlorine Chemistry Council
 * 2002 Public Sector Chair: Mississippi Representative Jim Ellington
 * 2002 Private Sector Chair: Bob Quick, ASARCO Inc.

Subcommittees

 * Energy Sub-Committee (Chair: Rep. Tom Lockhart (WY))
 * Environmental Health & Regulation Subcommittee
 * Agriculture Subcommittee

Health and Human Services Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Representative Leah Vukmir (R-Wisconsin), Public Sector Chair


 * Co-Chair: Marianne Eterno (Assistant Vice President, Government Relations, Guarantee Trust Life Insurance), Private Sector Chair. Guarantee Trust Life Insurance is a company based in Glenview, IL, that provides insurance to K-12 schools, community and junior colleges and universities as well as athletic groups, camps, child care, and special events. Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company is a private company and does not publicize its annual revenue. Its website has the following information: $190 million in invested assets, $177 million in total liabilities, $131 million in total reserve for life policies and contracts, and accident and health policies, and $42 million in net surplus.
 * Staff Director: Christie Herrera
 * Corporate Members include:
 * Johnson & Johnson
 * PhRMA
 * Politicians on the Health and Human Services Task Force include:
 * Charlice Byrd (R-GA)
 * Judson Hill (R-GA)
 * Linda Upmeyer (R-IA), Former Public Sector Chairperson
 * Renee Unterman (R-GA)

ALEC Health Care Task Force in 1993
For reference, the National Task Force on Health Care in 1993 (when ALEC members fought Hillary Clinton's health reform effort) included:


 * Co-Chairman Rep. Tom Wilder (GA)
 * Corporate Co-Chairman Spencer Hathaway (Syntex Laboratories, Inc.)
 * Legislative Director Molly Hering
 * Legislative Assistant Barbara Perez

Executive Committee Politicians

 * Rep. Steve McDaniels (R-TN)
 * Rep. David Hale (MO)
 * Rep. Pat Blake (R-AZ)
 * Rep. Howard Hendrick (R-OK)
 * Rep. Dale Van Vyven (R-OH, deceased 2010)
 * Sen. Jim Neal (DE)
 * Rep. Karen Steele (VT)

Corporate, Trade Group, or other Group Members

 * CIBA-GEIGY
 * Industrial Biotechnology Association
 * Nationwide Insurance
 * National Association for Home Care
 * Solvay Pharmaceutical
 * National Business Association
 * Hoffman-LaRoche
 * Council for Affordable Health Insurance
 * The Traveler's Companies
 * PFL Life Insurance Company
 * Georgia Medical Assocation
 * National Health Insurance
 * Schering-Plough (since acquired by Merck)
 * General Electric Medical Systems
 * Humana Corporation
 * Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association
 * Texas Medical Association
 * Hoechst-Roussell Pharmaceutical Corporation
 * Burroughs Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline)
 * Johnson & Johnson
 * Rhone-Poulene Rourer
 * Parke-Davis
 * Glaxo, Inc. (now GlaxoSmithKline)
 * Association of Health Insurance Agents
 * Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (now the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA)
 * Health Insurance Association of America (merged with American Association of Health Plans in 2003 to become America’s Health Insurance Plans or AHIP)
 * National Association of the Self-Employed
 * National Federation of Independent Businesses
 * Genentech, Inc.
 * Imperial Chemical Industries Pharmaceuticals (acquired by AkzoNobel in January 2008)
 * Merck, Sharp & Dohme
 * The UpJohn Company (now Pharmacia AB)
 * Boehringer Ingelheim
 * The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company
 * Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
 * Golden Rule Insurance
 * Lederle Laboratories
 * Long Term Care, Inc.
 * Wallace Laboratories
 * Central Reserve Life

Task Force "Advisors"

 * Prof. Leonard "Jack" Nelson (Cumberland Law School)
 * Ed Haislmaier (Senior Research Fellow in Health Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation, and a member of the board of directors of the National Center for Public Policy Research)
 * Wendell Cox (then the ALEC Director of State Legislation and Policy, and in 2011 Senior Fellow of Urban Growth and Transit Policy at the Heartland Institute )
 * Jimmy Mason (Senior Advisor, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Legislative Members

 * Rep. Ron Johnson (AL)
 * Rep. Bill Filanle (CA)
 * Sen. Herman Holloway (DE)
 * Rep. David Thomas (FL)
 * Rep. Evan Frasure (ID)
 * Sen. Patricia Miller (IN)
 * Rep. Susan Stokes (KY)
 * Rep. William Constantino (MA)
 * Rep. Tony Onnen (MN)
 * Rep. Jim Barnett (MS)
 * Rep. Fred Thomas (MT)
 * Rep. Mary Holmes (NH)
 * Sen. Tarky Lombardi (NY)
 * Sen. Donna Nalewaja (ND)
 * Rep. Robert Netzley (OH)
 * Sen. Ron Peterson (PA)
 * Rep. Joan Quick (RI)
 * Rep. Walt Bain (VT)
 * Del. Steve Martin (VA)
 * Rep. Peggy Rosenzweig (WI)
 * Rep. Les Bowren (WY)
 * Sen. Jan Brewer (AZ)
 * Rep. Philip Pankey (CO)
 * Rep. George Albright (FL)
 * Rep. Anne Mueller (GA)
 * Rep. Donna Jones (ID)
 * Rep. Dolores Mertz (IA)
 * Sen. Gerry Hinton (LA)
 * Rep. Carl Gnodtke (MI)
 * Rep. Dorothy Cole (MS)
 * Rep. Bonnie Sue Cooper (MO)
 * Rep. David Humke (NV)
 * Rep. Nicholas Felice (NJ)
 * Rep. Theresa Esposito (NC)
 * Rep. Ken Svedjan (ND)
 * Rep. Mary Fallin (OK)
 * Rep. Donald Snyder (PA)
 * Rep. Edward Marrapese (RI)
 * Sen. John Holgren (VT)
 * Sen. James West (WA)
 * Rep. Gregg Underheim (WI)
 * Rep. Rick Tempest (WY)
 * Rep. Bob Watts (AR)
 * Sen. George "Doc" Gunther (CT)
 * Rep. Dennis Jones (FL)
 * Sen. Stan Koki (HI)
 * Rep. Manny Hoffman (IL)
 * Sen. Dick Roeding (KY)
 * Del. Martha Klima (MD)
 * Rep. Dave Gruenes (MN)
 * Sen. Robert G. Huggins (MS)
 * Rep. Mike Foster (MT)
 * Sen. Ray Rawson (NV)
 * Sen. Anthony Williams (NM)
 * Rep. Richard Morgan (NC)
 * Sen. Grace Drake (OH)
 * Sen. Bob Shoemaker (OR)
 * Rep. Dave King (PA)
 * Rep. Jack Harris (TX)
 * Sen. Steven Rees (UT)
 * Sen. Leonard Anderson (WV)
 * Rep. Frank Urban (WI)
 * Sen. Gail Zimmerman (WY)

International Relations Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Representative Harold Brubaker (R-North Carolina), Public Sector Chair.
 * Co-Chair: Brandie Davis (Director of U.S. Affairs, Philip Morris International), Private Sector Chair

Altria Group, formerly Philip Morris, is the world's largest tobacco company. In the U.S. it controls about half of the tobacco market. In 2007, Altria spun off its food division. Altria Group's primary holdings until 2007 included Philip Morris companies as well as Kraft Foods (Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Maxwell House), which it spun off in 2007. Philip Morris International is an international tobacco company that has seven of the top 20 global cigarette brands. In 2010, it had a total revenue of $16.9 billion. Its CEO, Michael Szymancyk, had an annual compensation of $24.1 million in 2010.


 * Staff Director: Karla Jones
 * Politicians on the International Relations Task Force include:
 * Billy Hewes, III (R-MS), Former Public Sector Chair
 * Curt Bramble (R-UT) (also on ALEC's Board of Directors and a State Chair)
 * William (Bill) H. Payne (R-NM) (New Mexico State Senate Minority Whip, retired Rear Admiral (SEAL) in the United States Navy, former Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, U.S. Central Command)
 * Roger Helmer (Member of the European Parliament representing the United Kingdom's East Midlands region), International Legislator member

Subcommittees

 * Federal Relations Working Group

Public Safety and Elections Task Force
The Public Safety and Elections Task Force was previously known as the "Criminal Justice & Homeland Security Task Force." The task force was disbanded in 2012.
 * Co-Chair: Representative Jerry Madden (R-Texas), Public Sector Chair and head of the Corrections and Reentry Working Group.
 * Co-Chair: Stacie Rumenap, (President, Stop Child Predators),, formerly a registered lobbyist for the American Conservative Union, Private Sector Chair; Stop Child Predators is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, dedicated to establishing penalty enhancements for those found guilty of committing sexual offenses against children; implementing an effective and efficient nationwide sex offender registry; and protecting the rights of crime victims. Rumenap, the President of the organization, previously "served as the Deputy Director for the American Conservative Union (ACU), the nation's oldest and largest conservative grassroots issue-advocacy organization, where she directed the ACU's annual Conservative Political Action Conference and served as one of the group's principle lobbyists. Rumenap has also served as the Executive Director for both U.S. Term Limits and the National Center for Growth. Rumenap currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the America's Future Foundation and the Safe Internet Alliance. She is a former board member of the Initiative and Referendum Institute and the Georgia State Society."
 * Tara Reilly-Mica (Lobbyist, National Rifle Association), Former Corporate Co-Chair in 2011
 * Staff Director: Courtney O'Brien
 * Corporate, Trade or Other Group Members include or included:
 * National Rifle Association (NRA)
 * Evergreen Freedom Foundation
 * Texas Public Policy Foundation
 * Prison Fellowship Ministries
 * Eli Lehrer (National Director, Center on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, Heartland Institute), Advisor
 * Laura Renz (Research and Government Relations Director, Center for Competitive Politics)
 * Marc Levin (Director, Center for Effective Justice, Texas Public Policy Foundation)  *Politicians on the Public Safety and Elections Task Force include:
 * Sen. Jason Gant (R-SD)

Executive Committee

 * Corporate Members (for-profit, Trade or other Group)
 * Dennis Bartlett, American Bail Coalition
 * Jon Burton, Reed Elsevier - Reed Elsevier announced that it had resigned its leadership positions and dropped its ALEC membership "after considering the broad range of criticism being leveled at ALEC" on April 12, 2012
 * David Christman, National Beer Wholesalers Association
 * Dawson Hobbs, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America
 * Amanda Hydro, Citizens in Charge
 * Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship Ministries
 * Barbara O’Brien, National Pawn Brokers Association
 * Sean Parnell, Center for Competitive Politics
 * Stacie Rumenap, Stop Child Predators
 * Laurie Shanblum, Corrections Corporation of America
 * Politicians on the Executive Committee
 * Joe Driver (R-TX)
 * Margaret Flory (R-VT)
 * Dan Greenberg (R-AK)
 * Jerry Madden (R-TX)
 * Russell Pearce (R-AZ)
 * Bill Ruppel (R-IN)
 * Scott Suder (R-WI)
 * Jordan Ulrey (R-NH)
 * Gene Whisnant (R-OR)

Subcommittees

 * Homeland Security Subcommittee
 * Pawn Shop Subcommittee
 * Sexual Predators Subcommittee
 * Elections and Ethics Subcommittee
 * Corrections and Reentry Subcommittee
 * Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit
 * Child Safety Subcommittee

Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force

 * Co-Chair: Senator Jim Buck (R-Indiana), Public Sector Chair.
 * Co-Chair: Bob Williams (Founder & Senior Fellow, Evergreen Freedom Foundation), Private Sector Chair. The Freedom Foundation is a libertarian think tank based in Olympia, WA, that says its mission is "to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited, accountable government." The Freedom Foundation is a member of the State Policy Network and has received funding from the following conservative foundations: the Koch family Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, Coors-funded Castle Rock Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation (Wal-mart founders).
 * Corporate Members include:
 * National Taxpayers Union
 * Barry W. Poulson, Ph.D. (Professor of Economics, University of Colorado, Boulder and Senior Research Fellow, Texas Public Policy Foundation; former President, North American Economics and Finance Association ), Co-Chair, Unfunded Liabilities and Public Pensions Working Group
 * Amber Gunn (Director, Economic Policy Center, Evergreen Freedom Foundation)
 * Jason Mercier (Director, Center for Government Reform, Washington Policy Center; contributing editor to the Heartland Institute's Budget & Tax News; Treasurer, Washington Coalition for Open Government; and advisor to the 2002 Washington State Tax Structure Committee), Executive Committee member
 * Richard Vedder (Distinguished Professor of Economics, Ohio University; member of ALEC's Board of Scholars), Advisor
 * Kristina Rasmussen (Executive Vice President, Illinois Policy Institute)
 * Politicians on the Tax & Fiscal Policy Task Force include:
 * Chris Lauzen (R-IL and Certified Public Accountant), Co-Chair, Unfunded Liabilities and Public Pensions Working Group
 * Steve Brunk (R-KS)
 * John P. Adams (R-OH)
 * Jamie Van Fossen (formerly R-IA), former Public Sector Chair

Subcommittees

 * 21st Century Commerce and Taxation Working Group
 * Internet Subcommittee
 * Tax Reform Subcommittee
 * Tax and Expenditure Limitation (TEL) Subcommittee
 * Fiscal Policy Reform Working Group
 * Public Pension Reform Working Group
 * Unfunded Liabilities and Public Pensions Working Group