PAMIC PAC

In addition to the activism and citizenship displayed by our members in talking, writing, and volunteering for their chosen state senator and representative, members and like-minded friends have an additional tool: PAMIC PAC.

PAMIC PAC is the state political action committee formerly known as PAMILA, or the Pennsylvania Mutual Institute for Legislative Action. Its name was changed two years ago to more clearly reflect PAMIC, its members and its concerns, that are the primary source of its contributions.

PAMIC PAC is independent of, although sponsored by, PAMIC and relies on individual contributions. PAMIC dues and company contributions, by law, cannot be used for PAMIC PAC.

Here are a few of the reasons you and your fellow officers and directors should contribute:

1. Pooled political contributions have more impact. Studies have shown that most individuals give political contributions of less than $100. A $25.00 contribution made individually to a single politician’s finance committee is likely not to be noticed. Several such contributions pooled together and made as a PAC contribution will be noticed. (Incidentally, that is one reason why PAMILA’s name was changed – to make sure PAMIC and its members are noticed.)
2. PAC contributions make it clear where you stand on an issue. That’s not necessarily the case with individual contributions. Usually, a politician cannot tell what any particular personal contribution means in terms of specific issues. But if the contribution comes from an identifiable PAC with an identifiable set of issues, such as PAMIC PAC and insurance issues, the senator or representative has a clear picture of the interests and concerns involved. That helps build accountability.
3. Conversely, PAMIC PAC can make contributions to people you do not want to directly contribute to – people who take positions you oppose, but who are right on target on insurance issues. PAMIC PAC is focused entirely and exclusively on insurance business issues. Thus, the contributions are more like business investments. Senators or representatives who vote correctly on insurance issues sometimes take other positions on unrelated issues so that you would not want to personally support them with a direct contribution. You can make personal direct contributions based on the big picture while remaining confident that your PAC is acting with one target in mind – the best interest of the mutual property/casualty insurance industry.
4. PAMIC PAC contributions spread your influence. It is a rare voter, even an alert and informed one such as an insurance person usually is, who makes a contribution to a race outside his or own district, to a race where he or she cannot even vote. PAMIC PAC is your eyes and ears, identifying people outside your own district who consistently and fairly support the industry and who are worthy of support by insurance people.
5. Finally, PAMIC PAC complements the strong grassroots effort for which PAMIC has always been justly known. PAMIC member grassroots contact is vital and must continue. But campaign contributions are also important in all districts, and crucial in many. It’s important to understand why. PAMIC has a membership spread all across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. But the distribution of membership is uneven. It can happen that key leadership positions in the House and Senate are held by people from districts where we have few or no members. In fact, that is the case with the legislature today. Due to population patterns in the Commonwealth and the often rural location of many of our members, this state of affairs is likely to continue. But a small-town member need not be at the mercy of outside forces just because of that. Using grassroots contacts and PAMIC PAC contributions, our mutual industry can maintain and enhance the favorable, competitive climate we all need.

We hope that, after carefully considering points such as these, you will decide to make your own personal contribution to PAMIC PAC.