Michigan Nurses Association -

PACs: A key to legislative success

by Vicki Boyce

Special interest groups are made up of individuals organized around at least one common interest, seeking to influence public policy. Generally they disseminate information to the public as well as policy makers and provide campaign support to candidates who most closely reflect their views. The role of a special interest group is to advocate for citizens' preferences, voice concerns about proposed policies, and offer potential alternatives in policy development.

Special interest groups generally use three strategies to influence policy: lobbying, grassroots activity, and political action committees (PACs).

Lobbying is the act of persuasion - that is, trying to convince legislators to shape policy in the manner you desire. Lobbying for us often involves teaching about the role of the nurse or the impact of proposed policies on the patient population. Every nurse who communicates with a legislator is lobbying on behalf of the profession and the publics we serve.

Grassroots activity is an important aspect of moving policy forward. It is activity, such as letters and phone calls, by citizens (voters) that is designed to influence policy outcomes. Elected officials know who put them in office - and who can take them out! They make a special effort to evaluate policy in light of its ramifications for their constituents. Organized, articulate, and persistent grassroots activity communicates to policy makers that nurses are interested in policy development, watching and evaluating the outcomes.

PACs are the third major strategy used to influence policy outcomes. A PAC is a group of people with common interests who pool their money to support candidates and legislators who share the same interests and concerns. A harsh political reality is that legislators who share our concerns but can't get elected or stay in office are not in a position to influence policy outcomes. It takes lots of hard work and money to run for office, and candidates don't forget those who support them during their campaigns.

PACs provide a means by which nurses can pool their money to create sizable enough contributions to get noticed by candidates. Make no mistake about it, we are competing with every other provider and third-party payer, and even our employers, for the attention of policy makers.

Having a large PAC at the state and national levels means that nurses are recognized as important "players" in the political arena. For MNA-PAC, that means having at least $100,000 to spend in an election. ANA-PAC targets $1,000,000 to be noticed in Washington. When we can achieve that kind of funding, we begin to be asked to sit at the table as policy is developed, rather than have to respond to the policies promoted by other health care groups.

While the MNA and ANA PACs struggle at each election to meet their goals, other health care groups have managed to climb on the list of the 50 PACs that profited from the largest increases in the last year. The American Medical Association and American Hospital Association are listed among the top 50 PACs in Washington. If you were an elected official developing health policy, who would you ask to sit at your table?

By attending Nurses Impact, you'll gain the skills necessary to lobby, and you'll become inspired to participate in grassroots activity to advance nursing's policy agenda. But to become a full-fledged member of our special interest group, make a contribution to the MNA and ANA PACs. Your professional future and the welfare of your patients rely on our ability to shape health policy. Aren't they worth the investment?