The ACCP Political Action Committee (ACCP-PAC) recently launched the 2016 ACCP-PAC Practice and Research Network (PRN) Participation Challenge to determine which PRNs provide the greatest PAC support. When PRN members contribute to the PAC online, they are provided with an option to designate a PRN to receive credit for their contribution. Over time, ACCP will determine which PRN provides the greatest PAC support.

This year, the PRN Participation Challenge will recognize two winners:

• The PRN whose members contribute the most money in total
• The PRN with the highest percentage of members who contribute to the PAC

ACCP members who belong to multiple PRNs can make multiple contributions in the name of each PRN, but only one PRN can receive credit for any single contribution.

Click here to contribute to ACCP-PAC and show support for your PRN!

Current Leaderboard

Total Dollars Donated

Percentage of Members Who Have Contributed

About the ACCP-PAC PRN Participation Challenge

• Unlike the Frontiers Fund, ACCP-PAC cannot accept contributions directly from PRNs. All PAC contributions must be made by individuals from personal funds. Because of Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulations, PAC contributions are NOT deductible as charitable donations for federal tax purposes and must be made from personal funds and/or post-tax dollars.
• To qualify for the PRN Participation Challenge, PRN members must contribute a minimum of $5. However, to increase the funds available to give to candidates this election season, PRN members are urged to contribute at least $25 to this effort.
• The winning PRN will be awarded coveted preferential timeslots for PRN business meetings at the next two ACCP Annual Meetings.
• The results will be announced at the ACCP Annual Meeting in October.
• Please contribute online at www.accpaction.com.

More About ACCP-PAC

ACCP-PAC is the only means by which ACCP can provide financial support to help candidates for Congress who understand and support its issues and share its vision of a team-based, patient-centered, quality-driven approach to health care delivery.

ACCP-PAC is non-partisan and supports candidates regardless of political party affiliation. ACCP-PAC is regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) based in Washington, D.C. The PAC files quarterly FEC reports declaring all PAC receipts and disbursements, which are publicly available at www.fec.gov.

ACCP-PAC Governing Council

ACCP-PAC is member-driven, and its strategic policy decisions—including those related to which candidates receive financial contributions from ACCP-PAC—are made by the PAC Governing Council. The ACCP-PAC Governing Council consists of the following ACCP members:

• Suzanne A. Nesbit: PAC Governing Council president (and past regent)
• Gary R. Matzke: treasurer
• Michael S. Maddux: secretary
• Sara D. Brouse: member (sitting regent)
• Bradley G. Phillips: member (and past ACCP treasurer)

Who Receives ACCP-PAC Support?

All decisions regarding financial contributions to candidates are made by the PAC Governing Council according to certain established criteria:

• Position on key health care committees in Congress
• Proven support for pharmacy and health care–related issues
• Previous health care experience

The key health care–related committees in the House of Representatives are the Appropriations, Ways & Means, and Energy & Commerce committees; and in the Senate, these are the Appropriations, Finance, and Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committees.

ACCP members who contribute to the PAC may recommend candidates to receive contributions. All PAC contributor recommendations will be considered; however, not all requests may be accommodated. The ACCP-PAC Governing Council must approve all candidate contributions.

As a federal committee, ACCP-PAC can only contribute to candidates who are running for federal office (candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate, not for state legislatures or gubernatorial races).

For more information, visit the ACCP-PAC website at www.accpaction.com or contact John McGlew ([email protected]).

ACCP-PAC Provides Support to Congressional Health Care Leaders

ACCP continues to develop and strengthen its relationship with two important health care policy leaders on Capitol Hill—Representatives Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Peter Welch (D-VT). During the past few months, ACCP has endorsed the Better Care, Lower Cost Act (H.R. 4878), which these congressional representatives introduced. This legislation is aimed at improving care for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries and reforming the fee-for-service system to facilitate team-based care that helps patients achieve their clinical goals. In addition, on behalf of the congressmen, ACCP organized a successful Congressional Briefing, titled “Getting the Medications Right”: An Essential Ingredient in Achieving the Goals of H.R. 4878—the Medicare Better Care, Lower Cost Act.

Building on this, ACCP-PAC’s Governing Council approved campaign contributions totaling $5000 to each congressman to support their campaigns for reelection in November. On September 20, ACCP staff attended a fundraiser at the home of Representative Welch, where staff members had an opportunity to interact with the congressman and learn more about his campaign for reelection and his thoughts on the races at the national level. The following week, ACCP hosted a fundraiser for Representative Paulsen, attended by a diverse range of health care stakeholders—including representatives from the physician and nursing communities—who joined with ACCP in support of the congressman’s election campaign. The event provided ACCP an excellent opportunity to show its support for Representative Paulsen and help ensure that a key health policy leader who is committed to a team-based, patient-centered approach to health care delivery returns to Washington in the 115th Congress.

Left to Right: John McGlew, ACCP Director, Government Affairs; Congressman Erik Paulsen; C. Edwin Webb, Pharm.D., MPH, FNAP, ACCP Associate Executive Director; and Samuel G. Johnson, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS, ACCP Director, Health Policy and Interprofessional Affairs.

2016 Presidential Election Preview

With less than a month to go until election day, it’s time to look at the state of the 2016 presidential elections as the candidates close in on the final weeks of this historically contentious campaign.

A total of 270 Electoral College votes are required to secure the presidency. As things currently stand, according to the electoral poll aggregators “RealClearPolitics,”polling indicates that the Clinton/Kaine campaign is on course to win 260 Electoral College votes, and the Trump/Pence campaign should secure 165 Electoral College votes. A further 113 Electoral College votes are up for grabs from states considered “toss-ups” or “too close to call.” According to this prediction, the Trump campaign would need to win an overwhelming number of states currently considered “toss-ups,” that voted for Obama/Biden in 2012, including the traditional “must-win” prizes of Ohio and Florida.

The poll numbers reflect the fallout from a chaotic week for the Trump camp, following the release of an 11-year-old video in which Trump boasts about sexual assault, prompting several senior Republicans to distance themselves from their controversial presidential nominee. However, Trump has successfully overcome a series of scandals during this rollercoaster campaign. Question marks continue to linger over Clinton’s integrity as a result of her perceived involvement in a series of scandals over the span of her political career. It is fair to say that the 2016 presidential election is still far from over.

The breakdown of states is as follows, with relevant Electoral College votes shown in parentheses:

Of special note, Maine and Nebraska allocate two electoral votes to the popular vote winner and then one each to the popular vote winner in each congressional district (two in Maine, three in Nebraska) in their state. This creates multiple popular vote contests in these states, which could lead to a split electoral vote. (All polling data accurate as of 10/12/2016, taken from RealClearPolitics.)

For more information on any of ACCP’s advocacy efforts, please contact:

John K. McGlew
Director, Government Affairs
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004-1017
(202) 621-1820
[email protected]