Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson is now the new national chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Masterson took the gavel last week from Republican Florida state Rep. Daniel Perez, who is designated to become Florida’s next House speaker.
Masterson had been set to move up to chair after serving the last year as ALEC’s vice chair.
He assumed the chair of the organization at its states and national policy summit in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Perez told the audience that Masterson would be the “best national chairman that ALEC has ever seen.”
“For those of you who don’t know Ty, I promise you that you’re going to absolutely love him,” Perez said.
“He’s a little older and if you’ve ever seen him move, you know he doesn’t have rhythm like me,” he said. “In Miami, we call that the Kansas rhythm.
“But when it comes to understanding leadership, legislative maneuvers and how our work affects the people that we serve day in and day out, there isn’t a leader out there with better moves than Ty,” he said.
In addressing the ALEC group, Masterson praised Perez, saying he had a big void to fill.
“It is an honor to take this position. It’s also a great responsibility,” Masterson said.
“I just hope that I approach the challenges that we have this next year with the same kind of tact and effectiveness that Danny did,” he said.
“To be quite honest with my competitive nature, I do hope I can do it a little better. I don’t know.”
As chair, Masterson will have an elevated national presence in which he will preside over meetings with members and the Legislative Board of Directors.
He also will appoint committees, state chairs, and other leadership positions throughout the organization.
Additionally, he will oversee board activities, focus the agenda, and stand as ALEC’s representative to constituents, stakeholders, and other interested parties.
ALEC has come under scrutiny and criticism over the years from progressive groups for crafting model legislation with corporate interests and then encouraging their introduction in state capitols.
In 2019, USA Today reported that ALEC-model bills were introduced about 2,900 times, in all 50 states and the U.S. Congress, from 2010 through 2018.
More than 600 of those pieces of legislation became law, according to an analysis by USA TODAY and the Arizona Republic.
In an October column published by The Hill newspaper, the CEO of ALEC said that eight states used its model policy on school choice this year and more than 20 states have followed its recommendations to cut personal income taxes since 2021.
“ALEC is at the forefront of promoting conservative ideas and embracing our founders’ concept of federalism with 50 state laboratories via legislators across the country sharing what they learn and working to craft the best possible policies to benefit Americans,” Masterson said in a statement.
“It is an honor to lead such an important organization.”
USA Today reported that so-called model legislation from all groups was introduced more than 10,000 times nationally in statehouses from 2010 to 2018.
The newspaper reported that ALEC was second only to the Council of State Governments in developing model legislation.
CSG, which provides states with policy research and guidance, saw more than 4,300 bills based on its models introduced, according to the newspaper’s analysis.
Nine hundred and fifty CSG model bills became law, the newspaper reported.
