“In short, ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) is ghostwriting the law for state legislators across the country on behalf of its corporate clients,” Ray De Lorenzi, communications director for the American Association for Justice, an organization of legal professionals, told The Root. “On the surface, their membership comprises thousands of state legislators from around the country, but in reality ALEC is not serving the state legislators. It’s serving corporate contributors who are giving thousands, if not millions, of dollars to gain access to these legislators and distribute legislation they’ve crafted that will push their corporate interests.”

With more than 2,000 legislative members representing all 50 states, ALEC has a vast influence over American politics. The organization boasts that each year, close to 1,000 bills based on its corporate-crafted model legislation are introduced into statehouses across the country. Of these, an average of 20 percent are enacted into law.