In Washington State, GOP Education Bills Provoke Questioning

Senate Democrats say two Republican education bills are cookie-cutter copies from a conservative think tank. But Republicans say: Heck, no. Our bills are homemade with homegrown ingredients.

Democrat leaders argue that Republican bills — to grade schools on an A-to-F scale and to fail third-graders who cannot read at a certain level — come from the playbook of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative think tank. ALEC's main thrust is writing bill prototypes for legislators to use.