Political Action Committees are a major part of our country’s electoral process. Each week, NCA’s Government Relations Department receives numerous invitations to political events which offer the opportunity to speak with members of Congress about issues that matter most to our members. These events, coupled with our other advocacy efforts, allow NCA to build our contacts with politicians who are sympathetic to the concerns of private clubs and who work with us on legislation affecting our industry.
Recently, ClubPAC contributed to Congressman Henry Brown (S.C.), who represents the Myrtle Beach area. Rep. Brown professes to represent the district with the most golf courses of any in the U.S. and he has always been a strong supporter of our industry. Throughout this year and the next, ClubPAC will continue to support politicians, regardless of party affiliation, who work to help the private club industry.
Federal election campaign laws contain extensive rules that trade association political action committees, like ClubPAC, must follow to solicit and raise funds. Pursuant to that law, NCA may not solicit donations from clubs or even encourage support of ClubPAC without meeting specific and complex requirements. As an example, ClubPAC must first request and receive permission from a club before it may even send out a letter asking that club for a contribution – and then the contributions may only come from a very restricted class of the club’s most senior employees.
To ensure compliance with these federal requirements, we constantly review and update the ClubPAC permission forms we receive, and we only solicit the appropriate employees from clubs that have provided their approval.
