As national "Sunshine Week" winds down, we thought we'd squeeze in one more commentary on what elected officials do behind your back.

If you think Wyoming's "citizen legislature" is strictly a homegrown outfit, writing Wyoming laws in response to Wyoming's needs, think again. As a story on Monday's front page explained, many of our legislators may be getting their ideas from little-known national lobbying organizations.

One group in particular seems to wield a startling level of underground influence. Nearly half of Wyoming's state legislators are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, according to state Rep. Pete Illoway, a member of ALEC's national board.

ALEC is one of several national organizations of state legislators. But it's not a typical good-government association. Rather, it's a conduit for corporate interests to influence legislators.

ALEC has an unabashed conservative leaning, and liberal organizations indignantly denounce it as the Great Satan of American politics. Even though most Wyoming voters would cheerfully approve of their legislators' involvement in a conservative group, some aspects of ALEC are troubling.

When you watch government officials, it's a good idea to follow the money. In ALEC's case, the trail is pretty clear. A state legislator pays only $50 a year to join. Corporate sponsors put up $5,000 to $50,000 - for which they are privileged to write "model" laws that ALEC distributes to legislators nationwide. Legislators attend ALEC's conventions in touristy locales, where they rub elbows with the corporate benefactors who subsidize the whole shebang. (This year's gathering is in San Francisco.)

Secrecy is another red flag. Illoway, a Cheyenne Republican, refused a Star-Tribune request for a list of Wyoming legislators who are ALEC members. The next question is obvious: What do those legislators have to hide?

The substance of ALEC's assistance to state legislators is also shadowy. The group's Web site offers "model" bills on a wide range of topics. But access to those bills is password-protected, for members only.

We don't know how many bills in this year's legislative session originated with ALEC. ALEC didn't respond to a Star-Tribune inquiry on that subject.

On top of all that cloak-and-dagger behavior, our Legislature just voted to block public access to a huge amount of Wyoming legislators' official communications. So good luck finding out who's really writing Wyoming laws.

This kind of activity is why newspapers and other advocates of open government are observing Sunshine Week. It's an occasion to spotlight the importance of insisting that government agencies do the public's business in full view of the public.

Wyoming legislators may be especially vulnerable to veiled influence. Part-time officials with scarce staff resources may feel obliged to accept help from lobbying outfits n which, naturally, have axes to grind.

Fortunately, those part-time legislators live and work in communities where their neighbors know them on a first-name basis. So voters should them ask pointed questions about their involvement with groups such as ALEC, and their participation in subsidized junkets and other perks.

Be polite about it, but don't hesitate to demand straight answers. Remember, these people work for you, and they owe you accountability.