The Corporations, and Dentists, That Still Love ALEC

Companies have been resigning from the Republican policy shop ALEC in droves, thanks to bad publicity about its forays into the issues of guns and voting laws. Yet the much-maligned group still proves irresistible to corporations and interest groups that want a say in state lawmaking. That's because once the American Legislative Exchange Council blesses “model policy,” drafts of new state laws can spread like wildfire across the country.

So when ALEC decided to take up the issue of dental care—it's weighing whether to urge states to allow non-dentists to do routine procedures like filling cavities—it suddenly seemed like a really good idea for the American Dental Association to pay their dues and hang out at the group's policy summit in Washington. On Thursday, an ADA guy wearing a “new member” badge was frantically cornering lawmakers after an hour-long workshop on the issue of regulating oral care. The dentists, no surprise, are decidedly against outsourcing their work to non-dentists.