How legislation in the U.S. is often written

NPR's Fresh Air of July 21 has a long interview with John Nichols, a political reporter for The Nation, on the relationship that state-based legislators have with a group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a group that brings together state legislators and representatives of corporations to draft model bills that can then be introduced at the state level of government. Nichols' article is here.
32 min 17 sec, transcript available here.
The national chairman of ALEC responds to Nichols' report here.
13 min 10 sec, transcript available here.

How Some U.S. State Laws Are Written

NPR's Morning Edition has a two-part series showing how private prison companies worked to draft, then enact the harsh Arizona immigration law so they could build and fill new prisons.
October 28, 2010 - Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law
7 min 47 sec - transcript available
October 29, 2010 - Shaping State Laws With Little Scrutiny
7 min 46 sec - transcript available