The term PAC stands for Political Action Committee.

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Phoebe Ferguson
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2 WHAT IS A PAC? The term PAC stands for Political Action Committee. PACs are special organizations for the purpose of collecting contributions to support a particular cause or campaign. A PAC provides an organized way for an association to support political candidates, legislation, regulations or initiatives, for example, a profession like psychology.

3 PAC History 1947 To curb the growing political clout of organized labor and business the United States Congress passed the Taft Hartley Act. This law banned labor unions and corporations from spending money to sway federal elections To counter these developments the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) established a distinct political fund known as the Political Action Committee. This was the first PAC in American History and the name has since stuck.

4 PAC Development Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to require greater financial disclosure of federal campaign contributions FECA is amended to allow Congress to set financial limits for personal campaign contributions. These limits on personal giving cause campaigns to pivot their fundraising strategies, spurring a boom in the creation of PACs The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is established to enforce campaign finance laws. PAC regulation falls under its jurisdiction.

5 PAC Growth 1974: 608 Political Action Committees were registered. 1995: 4,000 PACs Election Cycle: 7,388 Federal PACs, a 37% growth since 2011.

6 Rise of the Super PAC 2010: Two court cases over a span of two months turned campaign finance regulation on its head. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Supreme Court struck down limits on the amount individuals could give to PAC s, ruling that it violated the first amendment. It also overturned provisions of the Taft Hartley Act and allowed corporations and Unions to make unlimited donations. SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission. This ruling paved the way for the creation of independent expenditure-only groups, or Super PAC s.

7 Super PAC Operations Super PAC s are expenditure-only groups, which means they can spend unlimited amounts of money as long as they are not coordinating with candidates or campaigns. However many of these Super PAC s are run by former staffers and aides of the candidates these Super PAC s support. As of February 26, 2015, there are 1,323 registered Super PAC s. PAC s in the 2014 election cycle raised a total of $1.7 billion; Super PAC s account for $695,504,310 of these funds.

8 APA Political Giving Psychologists have had a political giving presence since the Originally the PAC was known as the Psychologists for Legislative Action Now (PLAN). In the last ten years of its existence PLAN raised approximately $2.25 million for candidates.

9 The Creation of APAPO-PAC January 2001: In order to better advocate on behalf of professional psychology APA created a companion organization known as the American Psychological Practice Organization. APA is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, which puts limitations on lobbying activities. APAPO was conceived as a 501(c)(6) organization, meaning it does not have the same constraints as APA. This distinction is one of the many reasons why APAPO-PAC was created and brought under the APAPO banner. APAPO-PAC was established in 2012.

10 WHY APAPO-PAC Matters? PACs are a way to support candidates who are or may become champions for professional psychology s legislative agenda in Congress. The APAPO-PAC allows for greater integration between political giving and APAPO s legislative strategy. APAPO-PAC provides the financial means by which successful relationships with members of Congress are built and how legislation is influenced.

The Political Pyramid Member of Congress Friend

Voters Don t Vote) Registered Voters Eligible

11 The Political Pyramid Member of Congress Friend Political Friend Campaign Volunteers Campaign/PAC Contributors APAPO-PAC ½ of Voters Vote for Opponents Voters (45% of Registered Voters Don t Vote) Registered Voters Eligible Voters (25% Can t Legally Vote age, non-citizens, etc) Constituents

12 It Costs a lot of money to run for National office Average Cost of a Successful Campaign in 2008 (Obama $715,677,692 in 2014)

13 Among Health Professional PAC s, APAPO-PAC ranked: 61st: In th: In Early 2014 APAPO-PAC is Growing 39th: Currently

14 We Are Just One Among Many 1 American Medical Assn 2 American Assn of Orthopaedic Surgeons 3 American Society of Anesthesiologists 4 American Dental Assn 5 American College of Radiology 6 American College of Emergency Physicians 7 American Optometric Assn 8 American Physical Therapy Assn 9 American Assn of Nurse Anesthetists 10 American Academy of Dermatology Assn 14 American Podiatric Medical Assn 17 American Osteopathic Assn 29 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 35 American Psychiatric Association 39 American Psychological Association Practice Organizations

15 PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates PAC Receipts Comparison American Medical Assn $1,679,800 American Physical Therapy Assn American Assn of Nurse Anesthetists National Community Pharmacists Assn American College of Cardiology American Academy of Family Physicians American Nurses Assn American Assn of Orthodontists American Academy of Nurse Practitioners American Psychiatric Assn American Psychological Associationn Practice Organization American Assn for Vascular Surgery American Pharmacists Assn $1,028,840 $853,750 $669,875 $585,000 $545,500 $350,100 $303,450 $275,500 $239,000 $213,967 $151,500 $100,000 $0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates

16 2014 PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates from Health Professionals Total Amount: $26,149,968 Total to Republicans: $10,707,708 (41%) Total to Democrats: $15,433,760 (59%) Number of PACs making contributions: 123

STATE Contributions Connecticut 8.02% Delaware 13.25% District of Columbia 8.96% Hawaii 11.68% Maryland 8.85% 6.13% 2014 APAPO-PAC Percentage of Giving by State Massachusetts 5.86% New Hampshire 2.

17 STATE Contributions Connecticut 8.02% Delaware 13.25% District of Columbia 8.96% Hawaii 11.68% Maryland 8.85% 6.13% 2014 APAPO-PAC Percentage of Giving by State Massachusetts 5.86% New Hampshire 2.50% New Jersey 8.34% Rhode Island 6.36% Vermont 9.43% 7.06% 8.47% West Virginia 5.19% 6.37% 6.54% 6.01% 8.47% 7.55% 2.04% 6.42% 6.44% 10.41% 9.52% 4.65% 6.99% 9.88% 7.43% 5.71% 5.46% 6.92% 9.43% 7.24% 10.05% 7.52% 5.65% 7.84% 6.57% 7.80% 10.86% 8.33% 6.57% 6.04% 4.88% 7.83% 6.11% 14.39% 11.11% 9.41% 5.26% 7.40%

18 APAPO-PAC Disbursements 2014 APAPO-PAC contributed over $213,967 to federal candidates. APAPO GR Staff attended more than 200 fundraising events in the 113 th Congress. By the end of 2014 APAPO-PAC had given to 59% to Democrats, 41% to Republicans.

19 Now Imagine if every eligible psychologist:. gave only $25

20 APAO-PAC will have raised over $3.25 Million and be one of the top health care PACs in the nation.

21 To get more election updates on twitter or go to to get more information about APAPO-PAC

22 Doug Walter, J.D. Associate Executive Director Government Relations Practice Organization American Psychological Association 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC Tel: (202)

2013 National & Chapter Leadership Conference AGC PAC Briefing

2013 National & Chapter Leadership Conference AGC PAC Briefing Joe Jarboe, 2013 AGC PAC Co-Chair David Ashinoff, Director of AGC PAC & Political Advocacy Breaking Through the Noise More Taxes. More Spending!