Why ROOFPAC matters
What is a PAC?
Since 1907, corporate entities have been prohibited by law from making campaign
contributions to candidates running for political office. However, federal election
laws permit trade associations, along with unions and corporations, to sponsor political
action committees (PACs). The underlying philosophy of a PAC is to allow people
with similar interests to pool resources to make meaningful contributions to candidates
for elected office likely to advance the group's interests.
All dollars raised by
PACs must be personal and not corporate. Individuals are limited to contributions
of $5,000 annually.
Today, there are more than 4,500 PACs registered with the Federal Election Commission
(FEC). The FEC, an independent regulatory agency, oversees all federal election
activity. All PACs are required to register, name a treasurer and file regular activity
reports with the FEC. Federal election law also requires that trade associations,
such as NRCA, must obtain a prior approval form before soliciting its membership
for contributions. Prior approval forms do not obligate the member to give to the
PAC, it merely allows the PAC to send information regarding PAC activities. Also,
when disclosing contributions to the FEC, PACs must make a "best effort" to get
the name, address, company and title of the person contributing.
ROOFPAC
During the 2009-2010 cycle, NRCA's PAC, ROOFPAC, raised nearly $350,000 in personal
contributions and disbursed more than $331,000 to pro-business candidates. ROOFPAC's
winning percentage for the 2009-2010 election cycle was 88 percent.
Virtually all disbursements from ROOFPAC are made to congressional candidates for
the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. A typical ROOFPAC disbursement
is $1,000 for House candidates and $2,000 for Senate candidates; PAC disbursements
are limited to $5,000 per candidate per election ($5,000 for the primary election
and $5,000 for the general election).
The limits are important because they help level the playing field. As long as no
single PAC can make a huge contribution to a candidate, all PACs are important and
are aggressively solicited by candidates. Even a $1,000 contribution is noteworthy
enough to ensure NRCA representatives are included in discussions and invited to
fundraising events—all important pieces in a well-rounded government-relations program.
Why ROOFPAC Matters
The roofing industry faces more challenges involved with government legislation
and regulation than ever. NRCA expects to see new proposed tax increases on employers,
more aggressive enforcement from OSHA, burdensome rules for implementation of the
massive health care law, and other government policies that will directly affect
roofing contractors. It is vital that NRCA be engaged in these and dozens of other
federal issues to ensure the voice of the roofing industry is heard on Capitol Hill.
As a cornerstone of NRCA's government relations program, ROOFPAC is critical to
our efforts to communicate the concerns, views and interests of our industry to
Congress. ROOFPAC provides resources that are critical to helping elect pro-business
candidates for Congress who will work with NRCA to promote pro-growth economic and
regulatory policies.
For example, thanks to contributions from NRCA members, ROOFPAC was able to give
generously to support the campaign of former NRCA president Reid Ribble, who was
recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 8th district.
Reid's election to Congress is a historic milestone for the roofing industry, and
he is now helping lead new efforts to enact pro-growth policies aimed at creating
jobs and getting our economy back on track.
NRCA's Legislative Agenda
With the new 112th Congress under way, following are just a few of the issues NRCA
will be working on in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the roofing industry:
- Tax policy: NRCA supports permanent extension of low tax rates on individual income,
capital gains, dividends and the estate tax that are vital to strong economic growth
- Contractor withholding tax: NRCA is working to repeal a law passed in 2006, scheduled
to take effect in 2012, that requires federal, state and many local governments
impose a 3 percent tax withholding on government contracts
- Health care: NRCA supports repeal of the excessive regulations, mandates and new
taxes included in the new health care law and replacing it with private-sector health
care reforms that will bring rising health care costs under control
- OSHA: NRCA is working to restrain OSHA from its aggressive enforcement policies
that impose onerous burdens on employers and are often counterproductive to enhancing
workplace safety
- Labor organizing rules: NRCA is working to protect employers from "card check" and
other misguided attempts by the National Labor Relations Board aimed at tipping
the balance in labor law in favor of unions
- Changing roof depreciation rules: NRCA is working with Congress to shorten the tax
depreciation schedule for commercial roofs from 39 to 20 years to accelerate demand
and create 40,000 new jobs within our industry.
Since 1990, ROOFPAC has been working to help build a pro-business Congress that
understands the effect government regulation has on the bottom lines of roofing
businesses. With the support of NRCA members, ROOFPAC can continue its critical
mission.