Common Cause complained to the Internal Revenue Service about ALEC. ALEC brushes off new IRS complaint

The left-wing assault against the American Legislative Exchange Council continued Monday, with Common Cause complaining to the Internal Revenue Service that the conservative group behind the “Stand your Ground” gun laws spends millions to lobby state lawmakers — which they claim is a clear violation of its non-profit, tax-exempt status.

The complaint brought a rare public response from ALEC – known for having operating under the radar at the state level for decades to dismiss the complaint as just the latest action in a baseless liberal smear campaign.


“There are a lot of organizations out there that make it their function to cause trouble for the people they disagree with, and I think this is another of those attempts,” said Alan P. Dye, ALEC’s general counsel, in a conference call with reporters.

The group — which is funded by major corporations and dedicated to a small-government, free-market, deregulation agenda – is designed to solely to study and advance legislative ideas for the common good, Dye said.

“Its purpose is to receive all points of view, conduct analysis and research and create model legislation,” he explained. “It’s not in business for any particular tax legislation, economic legislation or goals of any type.”

Since its founding in the early 1970s, the legislative council has promoted pro-business reforms through state laws in a range of topics including schools, tax reform and the criminal justice system. Critics say ALEC – which boasts on its web site of having shepherded more than 1,000 bills through state houses last year – influences cash-strapped, overworked state lawmakers at lavish conferences, then sends them home with pre-researched, ready-made legislation advancing their agenda.

The organization came under scrutiny when neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, highlighting Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows the use of deadly force if one simply feels threatened in a confrontation. ALEC helped get the law on the books in about three dozen states.

The shooting accelerated a grassroots campaign to “name and shame” major corporations affiliated with ALEC. More than a dozen quit their ALEC memberships in response to the pressure, including Kraft Foods, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. ALEC ultimately shut down its public safety and elections committee, which embraced and promoted the “stand your ground” laws outside of Florida.