“The fact that candidates are seeking us out early on and looking for our endorsement is a huge win, partly because we [physicians] represent an important piece of society and partly because we [TEXPAC] have been very effective,” Dr. Weltge said.
LOCAL ACTION TEXPAC’s revitalization plan also means the organization will be reaching out to on-the-ground physicians and county medi- cal societies with grassroots membership drives, updates from the Capitol, and specifics on how to mobilize locally. (See “TEXPAC Will Come to You,” page 22.)
San Angelo oncologist David Cummings, MD, signed on just two years ago when he realized the mountain of changes the Affordable Care Act brought to his doorstep. He since stepped up to fill an open vice chair slot on the board for his district and helped spur his county society to become more active — another TEXPAC goal. The PAC and the county medical society worked together to host a roundtable with a local represen- tative, vet candidates for possible endorsement — and more importantly, Dr. Cummings says — arm physicians with the educational tools they need to participate in the legislative process itself.
“Endorsements and trying to get the right people in office, of course, are important. But one of the biggest things TEXPAC can offer is education on how our government works, how a bill gets proposed, and how bills that are detrimental to medi- cine can get killed in committee if you have the right people in those elected positions,” he said. “This means we [physicians] can intervene and have a voice in that process.” TMA Alliance President Angela Donahue, of Fort Worth, says the volunteer force also has stepped up with TEXPAC rep- resentation from alliance members in every county who help galvanize grassroots campaigning by foot, by phone, and by mail. She agrees those efforts are becoming even more critical as races heat up.
Ms. Donahue and the alliance legion block-walked and dis- tributed push cards to physician offices and schools in support of pediatrician and former Rep. Mark Shelton, MD (R-Fort Worth), when he took another run at the open Senate District 10 seat after losing in 2012 to then-incumbent Sen. Wendy Davis, now the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. (TEXPAC has endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Greg Abbott. Senator Davis did not ask TEXPAC for an endorsement.)
Ms. Donahue also spoke with patients and community members to dispel what she described as misrepresentations about medicine’s platform spread by Dr. Shelton’s opponent. “Unfortunately, the race didn’t go the way we wanted, and when you have groups out there that are loud, it’s hard to get people to understand this person is a friend of health care,” she said. But she’s optimistic a stronger TEXPAC means medicine’s voice can get even louder.
BUILDING THE WAR CHEST TEXPAC leaders acknowledge politicking is not for every phy- sician. Regardless, they emphasize every physician can help TEXPAC secure medicine’s territory by participating financially. TEXPAC recently expanded the organization’s contribution levels to create more opportunities for physician, student, and resident involvement. (See “Money Talks,” page 23.) The organization also created a separate, state-only PAC fund to bolster medicine’s influence. Previously, TEXPAC com- bined federal and state monies, which, by federal law, limited the organization in terms of the type and amount of money it could take in and dole out. Dr. Holland says having a distinct state-only fund means
the PAC can accept larger donations and make larger dona- tions at the state level, “which will open up lots of avenues for us to get involved and be a heavy hitter and accept donations that don’t have to be capped or rolled over.” Whether physicians want to directly engage in the political
process, “every TMA member ought to be making a contri- bution to represent medicine’s interests,” Dr. Weltge said. “If physicians are willing to spend the time and effort to meet a candidate and talk about our issues, those are efforts TEXPAC wants to support. It doesn’t guarantee we will endorse that candidate. But we need every physician, regardless of political persuasion, speaking to medicine’s issues and building those relationships. Then we will have candidates and legislators who are educated on our issues and friends who will listen for decades to come.” n
Amy Lynn Sorrel is associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1392, or (512) 370-1392; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
amy.sorrel@
texmed.org.
The Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee (TEXPAC) is a bipartisan political action committee of TMA and affiliated with the American Medical Association Political Action Committee (AMPAC) for congressional contribution purposes only. Its goal is to support and elect pro-medicine candidates on both the federal and state levels. Voluntary contributions by individuals to TEXPAC should be written on personal checks. Funds attributed to individuals or professional association (PAs) that would exceed federal contribution limits will be placed in the TEXPAC statewide account to support nonfederal political candidates. Contributions are not limited to the suggested amounts. TEXPAC will not favor or disadvantage anyone based on the amounts or failure to make contributions. Contributions used for federal purposes are subject to the prohibitions and limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Contributions or gifts to TEXPAC or any CMS PAC are not deductible as charitable
contributions or business expenses for federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing
address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Contributions from a practice business account must disclose the name of the practice and the allocation of contributions for each contributing owner. Should you have any questions, call TEXPAC at (512) 370-1361.
24 TEXAS MEDICINE September 2014
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