Christie's legislation drawn from ALEC - Conservative Think Tank

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The "model legislation" idea is an old one.  With 50 semi-sovereign states consistency can be hard to come by.  The Uniform Laws Commission concentrates on well drafted, non-partisan bills.  It has produced things like the Uniform Commercial Code which is almost universally adopted.  The American Law Institute's Model Penal Code was very influential.  But there is another model - the partisan bill drafters of ALEC - the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council.  It has huge and quiet influence.  This comprehensive report by the Newark Star ledger demonstrates that their model bills have been widely relied upon by the Christie administration and Republican legislators in New Jersey in their efforts to weaken public schools and teachers unions, while advancing private groups like charter schools.  Despite weak denials by legislators and the governor's office, thee article is m: New Jersey Legislators are relying heavily on the group.  Not surprising since the governor recently denounced the official Office of Legislative Services as a partisan pro-Democratic group! - GWC

Some of Christie's biggest bills match model legislation from D.C. group called ALEC | NJ.com:

The American Legislative Exchange Council, a little-known conservative group headquartered in Washington, D.C., and funded by some of the biggest corporations in the United States — most with a business interest in state legislation.ALEC has quietly made its mark on the political landscape by providing state governments with mock-up bills that academic and political experts say are, for the most part, tailored to fit a conservative agenda. In recent years, states — particularly those with new Republican governors and legislatures — have been flooded with ALEC’s model bills. Nearly 1,000 of them are introduced every year, and roughly one-fifth of those become law, according to ALEC’s own count. ALEC’s bills are especially attractive because they are written so they can virtually be copied and pasted onto legislative proposals across the land.

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