| The Insurance and Financial
Advisors Political Action Committee (IFAPAC)
is a term used to describe collectively the PAC sponsored by NAIFA
at the federal level and the PACs sponsored by each state association.
Each PAC is a fund that supports the campaigns of candidates for
public office who understand issues important to insurance agents
and financial advisors.
IFAPAC's goal is to help the associations advance the legislative
and regulatory interests of the members of NAIFA. While any U.S.
citizen can contribute to IFAPAC, only members of local NAIFA associations
may be solicited to do so. Contributions must be voluntary. Contributions
are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Of approximately 3,700 political action committees registered with
the Federal Election Commission, IFAPAC ranks in the top 1 percent.
IFAPAC is the largest insurance PAC. In the last election cycle,
the national IFAPAC and the 50 state IFAPACs contributed approximately
$3 million to federal and state candidates and committees.
The IFAPAC network is needed even in years when there aren't federal
elections. The candidate evaluation and support processes go on
all the time. PACs that have the resources to make contributions
when candidates need them most are highly visible in the political
arena. IFAPAC occasionally makes debt-retirement contributions following
elections and some states hold elections in odd-numbered years.
On the national level, a panel of ten NAIFA members, appointed
by the Executive Committee of NAIFA, determines which candidates
for federal office will receive PAC contributions. This group is
called the Candidate Selection Group.
On the state level, contributions to candidates are made via a
similar volunteer committee process. Input from state and local
association officers and current contributors is vital to the ability
of state and national selection committees to make informed decisions
regarding which candidates to support. IFAPAC encourages contributors
to provide factual information on candidates.
|