The American Supply Association’s Political Action Committee (ASA PAC) is an integral component of ASA’s Advocacy program and crucial to the success of ASA’s legislative and regulatory agenda in our nation’s capital.

The important role that a political action committee can have in an organization is often underestimated. Confusion frequently stems from unfamiliarity of the definition of a PAC and its responsibilities. We want to ensure that our members are informed of this critical component of our political affairs activities. PAC myths include:

• PACs buy elections/votes: Every PAC has the same $5,000 contribution limit
• PACs are dirty: PACs are not only legal, but highly regulated
• PACs are a slush fund: PACs go through a budgeting process to allocate funds

By law, associations like ASA are prohibited from providing direct political support in the form of corporate dollars to fund elections, and most states have similar restrictions. For this reason, the federal election commissions allow PACs to be used as a means of providing individuals who share common interests a way to leverage their financial support for candidates who they support. An interesting and important aspect of member organization PACs is that the dollars used to fund candidate campaigns come from individuals, not from the companies where they work. ASA PAC can accept corporate donations, but these donations cannot be used to directly support a candidate; the funds are typically used to help support the administrative costs associated with running a PAC.

ASA PAC raises funds from its association members and disburses the funds to congressional candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The pooling together of the financial resources allows for ASA to directly support candidates that have shown a commitment to working on those issues the PHCP and PVF industries face.

ASA PAC is so important because it is an offensive measure in our government affairs efforts, helps to elect the right people to office, and is a tool to build relationships with candidates. For ASA members, this means we are helping elect members of Congress who are pro-ASA issues and help enable ASA to be a visible player in lawmaking. As with all aspects of the ASA Advocacy program, our voice is louder and more impactful when we all come together!

The ASA Political Action Committee is the “vehicle” we use to support candidates for the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Your donation is the “fuel” required to keep the PAC going. When Glenn Fuller, president of Texas Plumbing Supply, Inc. was asked why he supported ASA PAC, his response was: “I serve on the ASA Government Affairs Committee and get to witness our lobby team and advocacy group making things happen in D.C. They are very connected and engaged, more than ever before! In addition to serving on the committee, I am a regular contributor to the ASA PAC because I see the importance of having a fund that can be used to help those that support our industry.”

> To learn more about the ASA PAC, please contact Catherine Treadwell Perry, Director of Government Relations, at ctreadwell@asa.net.