You may have seen the term PAC, or political action committee in the news, you may have heard it in a conversation or maybe you’ve even seen some mail from our own OIA PAC. But what really is a Political Action Committee? PACs tend to have a bad reputation, are an easy target on the 24-hour news cycle and are sometimes incorrectly associated with “dark money”, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a group formed by an industry or issue-oriented organization to raise and contribute money to campaigns of candidates likely to advance the group’s interests. Simply put, it’s a group that represents a certain industry or issue stance.
Being small business owners, you probably have wondered how you gain access to lawmakers who can determine the fate of your business through legislation and regulations. How can you compete with bigger businesses and large corporations? This is where your own OIA PAC becomes essential in today’s political environment. A stronger PAC gives an industry a bigger seat at the table. This is where your OIA PAC works for you.
Our Advocacy Team works hard to build relationships with key lawmakers, stakeholders, and regulators. One of the best tools in our toolbox is our PAC. It provides us with the opportunity to discuss industry issues, your concerns and be a part of meaningful conversations that shape legislation. Elected officials don’t have the bandwidth to read, much less fully understand the consequences of every bill they may vote on. This is where strategically utilizing our OIA PAC is a powerful avenue to grab their attention and communicate the perspective of the independent agent.
So, maybe next time you see the term PAC in the news, or you see correspondence from us at OIA asking for your support you’ll take a moment to think it over, maybe you’ll even consider becoming a donor to our PAC. As always, we are here and eager to answer any questions you may have.
Please contact John Wells at john@ohioinsuranceagents.com with any questions.
