KINDER TO HEAD EDUCATION TASK FORCE FOR NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ORGANIZATION

State Sen. Peter Kinder has been named chairman of the education task force of the American Legislative Exchange Council. His appointment came at a board meeting he attended in Newport, R.I.

The council is a Washington, D.C.-based association of state lawmakers founded on the principles of limited government, free markets and individual liberty.

Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, feels ALEC has much work to do as the states take a larger role in shaping America's future.

"ALEC is a unique organization with growing influence in statehouses across the country," he said. "It will be rewarding to be a significant part of this organization as it becomes a greater force in American public policy."

ALEC's education task force develops model legislation that promotes excellence in schools. Issues that the task force is currently involved in include school choice, educational scholarships and charter schools. It is one of ALEC's 11 task forces.

With nearly 3,000 members, ALEC is the largest bipartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators in the nation. In the 1995 legislative session, nearly 1,000 bills based on model legislation developed by ALEC task forces were introduced in the states; 231 were enacted.