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{{About_ALEC}}
Bush founded the [[Foundation for Excellence in Education]] (FEE), a school privatization advocacy organization, and its affiliated group [[Chiefs for Change]], which organizes an annual meeting that brings together public officials and the executives of education companies.<ref name="layton fee"/> FEE is a member of the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]], which has heavily promoted "model bills" for school vouchers and other measures to privatize public schools in the United States. ALEC and FEE collaborate on an annual "report card" that grades states' allegiance to their policy agenda rather than academic performance. The two organizations have received funding from many of the same for-profit school corporations and (predominantly right-wing) foundations, including [[K-12]], [[Connections Academy]], [[State Farm Insurance]], [[Intel]], [[Microsoft]], the [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]], the [[Walton Foundation]], the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]], and the [[Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation]]. Many of the same staff and "experts" have worked for both organizations, and numerous [[ALEC Politicians|ALEC politicians]] have presented at FEE conferences.<ref>Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/11/11883/taxpayer-enriched-companies-back-jeb-bushs-foundation-excellence-education-its-bu Taxpayer-Enriched Companies Back Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, its Buddy ALEC, and Their 'Reforms']," Center for Media and Democracy, ''PR Watch'', November 28, 2012.</ref>
FEE is also a member of the [[State Policy Network]] of state-level right-wing "think tanks" that are major drivers of the ALEC agenda in statehouses across the country.
===Promotion of Other ALEC Policies===
As Governor, Jeb Bush signed into law the "Stand Your Ground" law, promoted by the National Rifle Association and later adopted by the American Legislative Exchange Council as a "model bill" called the Castle Doctrine. The bill was signed into law with the NRA’s lobbyist, Marion Hammer, standing alongside the governor at the signing ceremony on April 26, 2005.<ref>[https://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/File:NRA_lobbyist_watches_Jeb_sign.png NRA Lobbyist Watches Jeb Sign], Photo available via Blogwood 2.0, April 27, 2005.</ref><ref>Lisa Graves, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/07/12181/after-zimmerman-let%E2%80%99s-end-stand-your-ground After Zimmerman, Let’s End Stand Your Ground]," Center for Media and Democracy, ''PR Watch'', July 17, 2013.</ref>
The law faced criticism in the wake of the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Bush defended the law stating, "stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn't mean chase after somebody who's turned their back."<ref name="ground">Jessica Washington, [http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/foes-hit-jeb-bushs-record-stand-your-ground-laws-n401351 Foes Hit Jeb Bush's Record on 'Stand Your Ground' Laws], NBC News, July 30, 2015.</ref> He also gave a speech to the NRA in 2015 defending the law, proclaiming that "in Florida, we protected people's rights to protect themselves."<ref name="ground"/>
===Featured Speaker at Closed-Door Weekend Retreat with Coal Execs (2015)===
Bush was the highest profile speaker at the June 2015 Coal & Investment Leadership Forum, an invitation-only three-day retreat in Bristol, Virginia hosted by the CEOs of six coal companies, according to materials for the event obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and reported on by ''The Guardian''.<ref name="surgey secret retreat">Nick Surgey, "[httphttps://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/06/12845/Jeb-Bush-Speaking-at-Secret-Coal-Industry-Retreat Jeb Bush Addressed Secret Coal Industry Retreat]," Center for Media and Democracy, ''PR Watch'', June 1, 2015.</ref> Bush was invited to speak by six owners and executives of major coal companies, including Joe Craft III of [[Alliance Resource Partners]], Kevin Crutchfield of [[Alpha Natural Resources]], Nick DeIuliis of [[Consol Energy]], Garry Drummond of [[Drummond Company]], John Eaves of [[Arch Coa]]l, and Jim McGlothlin of [[United Coal Company]].<ref name="bush coal barons">Suzanne Goldenburg, "[http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/29/jeb-bush-closed-door-meeting-coal-industry-barons Jeb Bush cozies up to coal industry barons at closed-door meeting]," ''The Guardian'', May 29, 2015.</ref>
The event was held at the Olde Farm, a private country club known for its annual golf tournament in which players take sides in the Civil War for the South or the Union and which is described by McGlothlin as "our most cherished tradition."<ref name="surgey secret retreat"/> Attendees paid at least $7,500 to take part, not including lodging.<ref name="bush coal barons"/>
