Press Release

State Legislators Gather in Austin to Embrace Creative Disruption

46th ALEC Annual Meeting Opens in Austin, Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Dan Reynolds, ALEC Public Affairs
Email: dreynolds@alec.org
Phone: 248-762-7576

State Legislators Gather in Austin to Embrace Creative Disruption

46th ALEC Annual Meeting Opens in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, TEXAS, August 14, 2019 – Today, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation’s largest and oldest nonpartisan membership organization of state legislators opens the doors to its 46th Annual Meeting. Organized around a theme of embracing creative disruption, Annual Meeting attendees including state legislators, policy experts and business leaders will have the opportunity to share ideas and experiences and create research-based model policies that focus on limited government, free markets and federalism.

During the three-day conference, and in view of 2020, members will attend workshops, plenary sessions and task force meetings and hear from notable speakers, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, White House Innovation Advisor Brook Rollins and Matthew Charles, one of the first Americans to benefit from criminal justice reforms put in place by the First Step Act – based on an ALEC model policy. Legislators will also learn from start-up founders, visit a tiny-home community working to fight chronic homelessness, and participate in a reentry simulation to learn the challenges of rejoining society after paying one’s debt to society.

“Embracing creative disruption is about the now and the future,” said ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson. “America’s state legislators come together at ALEC to grapple with public policy issues that didn’t exist five or ten years ago. People live and work differently than in years past. They expect different programs and solutions from government. ALEC members come together at these meetings to find and implement creative solutions.”

Legislators and attendees at this solutions-first meeting will consider 25 model policies on free enterprise and individual liberty in the states. Task Force policy discussions will include:

  • Calling on the Federal Government to Allow Banking for Cannabis Companies
  • Authorizing the Production and Sale of Hemp and CBD
  • Digital Privacy: Ensure your Digital Fourth Amendment Protections
  • Blockchain: Why Decentralization is Good for Tech
  • Workforce Development and Working Toward “Trade School Choice”

“Now more than ever, the work of ALEC is sorely needed,” said ALEC Chairman and South Carolina Representative Alan Clemmons. “Decisionmakers come together at forums like ALEC to exchange ideas and create solutions. It’s been ALEC’s hallmark for almost 50 years. We are problem solvers helping create the opportunity for a better life for all.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a 501(c)(3) educational organization that provides nonpartisan research, study and analysis. ALEC facilitates interaction between public and private sector leaders, think tanks and citizen groups through meetings and model policy development.

ALEC Model Policy Library

To learn more about the American Legislative Exchange Council and to find information on the 46th  Annual Meeting, visit www.alec.org.

To apply for media credentials, please fill out this form. Media credentials are non-transferable and subject to the ALEC media policy.

###

The American Legislative Exchange Council is the largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators in the United States. The Council is governed by state legislators who comprise the Board of Directors and is advised by the Private Enterprise Advisory Council, a group of private, foundation and think tank members. For more information about the American Legislative Exchange Council, please visit: www.alec.org.