In recent years, ACCP-PAC has made a series of strategic decisions – given the political dysfunction and gridlock that have obstructed the passage of bipartisan health reform legislation – to conserve scarce member resources and avoid engaging in partisan political events.

During this time, the College has gradually built up its cash reserves and has accumulated almost $100,000 on hand to help elect members of Congress who understand the value that clinical pharmacists bring to health care teams and are willing to advance legislation to expand access to services that ensure medication optimization for patients.

Members of ACCP’s Political Action Committee (PAC) launched the 2022 election effort by attending a small fundraising event for Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) on Capitol Hill. The event, hosted at the offices of ACCP’s long-serving consultant lobbyist, Paul Kelly, provided an opportunity to present a PAC check for a $500 contribution approved by the ACCP-PAC Governing Council.

As the only health care organization represented at the event, ACCP was able to focus discussions on opportunities to expand Medicare coverage for clinical pharmacists’ services and learn more about upcoming legislative action on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.

Background of ACCP-PAC

The PAC is a relatively recent addition to ACCP’s advocacy arsenal. ACCP’s 2007 Strategic Plan called for an examination of the feasibility and value of establishing a PAC, and in 2010, given the positive feedback from ACCP members, the Board of Regents approved the launch of ACCP-PAC. This process reflected a recognition of the rapidly changing health policy landscape after passage of the Affordable Care Act and the increased complexity of ACCP’s advocacy agenda.

What Is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?

A PAC is a legally defined entity organized to help elect political candidates. By establishing a PAC, ACCP was able to begin raising money from its members to provide financial contributions for candidates for office who support the College’s advocacy agenda.

Because financial contributions are protected by the Supreme Court as freedom of speech under the First Amendment, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was created to regulate PACs and campaign financing to ensure transparency and accountability in campaign contributions.

How ACCP Decides Which Candidates Will Receive ACCP-PAC Support

All decisions related to PAC activities are made by the member-led ACCP-PAC Governing Council. ACCP-PAC is nonpartisan and contributes to candidates who understand and support its issues, regardless of their political party affiliation.

The PAC Governing Council considers established criteria when making decisions related to candidate support:

• 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, the Appropriations, Finance, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (H.E.L.P.) committees.

PRN PAC Captains

ACCP launched the PAC Captains initiative at its 2019 Annual Meeting in New York City to develop a leadership team that would serve as liaisons and enhance communication between the PRNs and ACCP-PAC.

By building this network of ACCP advocacy leaders, ACCP’s aim was to help PRN members better understand how ACCP-PAC support underpins the College’s broader advocacy strategy. ACCP hopes the PAC Captains program continues to provide a structure to improve communication between its advocacy initiatives and the work of ACCP’s PRNs.

How ACCP Members Can Get Involved

The easiest way to get involved in ACCP-PAC is to make a financial contribution. And because the PAC is about raising the College’s political profile in Washington and helping to advance its advocacy goals, ACCP hopes that members will also continue to engage in its advocacy work beyond donating money.

• ACCP members who contribute to the PAC can recommend candidates to receive contributions. All PAC contributor recommendations will be considered; however, ACCP may not accommodate all requests.

Other Considerations

• As a federal committee, ACCP-PAC can only contribute to candidates running for federal office (i.e., candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate, not those in state legislature or gubernatorial races).
• Because of FEC regulations, PAC contributions are NOT deductible as charitable for federal tax purposes and must be made by personal funds and/or post-tax dollars.