CAMFT PAC NEEDS YOU!
by: Mary Riemersma, Executive Director
As a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family
Therapists, you receive many benefits. Among other things, these
benefits include the ability to receive unlimited answers to your
questions of a legal, business, or practice nature; the ability to keep
up-to-date on what is happening in your profession; and unparalleled
advocacy at the state level on matters that affect your livelihood.
CAMFT also advocates on behalf of the profession before the California
legislature and Congress to assure the profession is recognized and
treated on par with the other mental health disciplines.
However, to make our advocacy on your behalf even more successful, we
need your help. Your support of CAMFT-PAC, the CAMFT State Political
Action Committee, is critical to the success of CAMFT's legislative
program. CAMFT-PAC is non-partisan and it provides financial
contributions to legislators who support the mental health profession,
and more specifically, MFTs. With your support, we can make
contributions to legislators who author bills and support legislation to
enhance you and your profession.
CAMFT has been reasonably successful with very limited PAC funds.
Competing professions and organizations build war chests of PAC funds,
and often contribute over $1 million per year in political action (e.g.,
the California Medical Association or the California Association of
Consumer Attorneys). Think how successful we could be if we are able to
expand CAMFT-PAC funds!
If each CAMFT member contributed only $1 per year to CAMFT-PAC, we
would create a fund greater than what we currently accrue each year
(close to $30,000). If each CAMFT member contributed only $10 ($10 per
year is 83 cents each month, or less than three cents each day) per year
to CAMFTPAC, we would amass a fund of close to $300,000 per year. What a
difference we could make if this scenario were the case. In other words,
if each member sees the value in moving the profession forward and
contributes something, our collective political action can make a
monumental difference for the profession. If you provide a donation of
$4 per month, the approximate cost of one gourmet coffee drink, it would
provide you with an easily-handled monthly contribution, and CAMFT-PAC
with a yearly donation of $48. The amount you contribute does not have
to be great, but please give something because your donation will make a
difference.
Political Action is used to make contributions to recognize
legislators who support our interests. CAMFT's resources pay for all of
CAMFT's legislative and other advocacy endeavors, but these resources
may not lawfully be used to fund political action, that is why we have
to seek member support separate and apart from CAMFT's other financial
resources.
As we continue to move forward with CAMFT's many state legislative
efforts, you and your colleagues play a critical role in our success
with your contributions. As we continue to seek support for our bills
and battle against competing interests, CAMFT-PAC can assure our
recognition as a profession.
Your contribution makes a difference! We thank you for taking the
time and using your resources to make the difference so meaningful.
PS: Not only do you have the ability to contribute by check, but
CAMFT will also accept CAMFT-PAC contributions by credit card. You also
have the choice to contribute monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or
annually.
CAMFT Member PAC Contributions - (Member
Login and Password required). Once you have logged in,
click on the "Contribute to PAC/FPAC" link under
your name in the blue shadded box located at the top right side of the
webpage.
Non-Member PAC Contributions
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Mary Riemersma, CAE, is CAMFT's Executive Director. She is
available to answer member calls regarding business, legal, and ethical
issues.
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