Back the PAC: Together We Can Make a Difference.

• Author: Cpa-Pac, Calcpa

BY CALCPA CPA-PAC

CalCPA advocates for the public policy interests of the CPA profession and related professionals working in large, medium and small public accounting firms, as well as businesses throughout California. We strive to ensure that our members' voices are heard while public policy is being developed and debated.

To be successful, CalCPA maintains a comprehensive government relations program with a multipronged approach for engaging in the public policy process. We have full-time professional staff in Sacramento that works to anticipate and respond to proposals that impact the profession, build strategic alliances with advocacy stakeholders and keep members apprised of emerging policy issues. Moreover, we have a robust grassroots network of engaged member leaders that commit time and resources to establish relationships with legislators and brand CalCPA members as community leaders invested in California's future. A third, integral component of CalCPA's advocacy program is the CPA-PAC: CalCPA's member-managed political action committee (PAC).

While much of the CPA-PAC's activities are behind the scenes, it's immensely important to the overall success of our advocacy efforts. Politics plays a huge role in the public policy process. As an extensively legislated and highly regulated profession, which must compete with dozens of other special interests to achieve policy goals and avoid onerous regulation, we also must participate in the political process.

The CPA-PAC fills this role by providing an opportunity to remain well-connected to decision makers at the Capitol. CPA-PAC is funded by voluntary contributions from CalCPA members. The CPA-PAC board works with CalCPA government relations staff to make political contributions to legislators and candidates--regardless of party affiliation--that understand the importance of the CPA profession in California and are in key positions to help advance the advocacy goals of CalCPA. Contributions allow for representatives of the profession to attend events with legislators to cement relationships that have been developed over time. Not only do legislators see CalCPA as the leader of the profession, but also our efforts demonstrate the profession is meaningfully engaged in the political process.

Doing the Leg Work

Every year we face a number of proposed laws and regulations that can make it more challenging and complex for our profession to provide the high quality sendces our clients...