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The
ACC Political Action Committee Q&A
In
2002, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) is taking a
vital new step in its efforts to advocate for its members
with legislators in the U.S. Congress. The College has established
a Political Action Committee, or PAC, as part of a multi-pronged
approach to expand its advocacy program. The following questions
and answers are meant to offer ACC members some basic information
on the PAC and what it means for the College.
Q.
Why has the ACC formed a PAC?
Historically,
the College's federal legislative efforts have consisted of
educating legislators about specific issues through office
visits by physician leadership and College staff, letters
of support or disagreement on introduced legislation, and
testimony before congressional committees. This contact has
been effective, and the PAC will help to buttress these efforts.
Through the PAC, the ACC will influence the campaign process
by providing financial contributions to candidates who support
legislation that is important to the College and is consistent
with its mission and goals, such as funding for medical research
or Medicare regulatory and reimbursement reform.
Q.Why
is the PAC necessary? What's wrong with what we've been doing?
The
formation of a PAC, which was one of the recommendations from
the ACC Task Force for the 21st Century, is a strategic move
for the College. As the fight to prevent cuts in physicians'
Medicare fees has illustrated, if ACC members want to ensure
that they have a say in how health policy is shaped, the College's
advocacy program must continue to evolve to meet the demands
of a constantly changing health policy environment. The formation
of a PAC is one of the most appropriate and effective ways
of achieving that end by helping to ensure that legislators
who have been approached by the College and supportive of
critical legislation are elected to or remain in office.
Q.Isn't
a PAC just a form of "dirty" politics?
The
Federal Election Commission (FEC) prohibits organizations
like the ACC from contributing to the campaigns of individuals
seeking elected office, so the formation of a PAC—to
combine individual contributions—is one of the most legitimate
ways for organizations like the ACC to participate in the
political process. PACs have stringent legal requirements
and are tightly regulated by the FEC. The FEC closely monitors
all PAC operations, from its governance structure to how it
collects and distributes money. Conversely, unlimited contributions
from individuals, corporations and organizations to political
parties—so-called "soft money"—has been
banned with the passage of campaign finance reform. PACs help
to level the playing field.
Q.Why
should I participate in the PAC?
The
PAC will give the ACC the opportunity to be more effective
in the political arena. Since the ACC cannot make contributions
to individual campaigns, individual personal contributions
will be pooled with other members' and legitimately contributed
to the campaigns of those candidates the ACC has worked closely
with on critical legislation.
Q.How
will the PAC be structured and governed?
The
PAC has a broad governance structure to ensure that decisions
about which candidates to support are thoroughly vetted and
to establish appropriate fundraising guidelines and goals.
It has a director who will oversee its day-to-day operations
and, more importantly, a board composed of ACC members who
will drive many of the decisions on soliciting contributions
from members and which legislators to support.
Q.How
can members get involved in the PAC?
An
individual can become a PAC member simply by writing a personal
check to the ACC PAC. It's that simple. Individuals can
also get involved in the overall political process by staying
abreast of critical legislation affecting the ACC, urging
their legislators to support or oppose legislation, and participating
in grassroots and other activities sponsored by the College.
For
more information on the PAC, contact Frank Ryan - 202.375.6409 - fryan@acc.org.
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