NMMA PAC too small?

he National Marine Manufacturers Association has more than doubled the size of its Political Action Committee (PAC) fund over the past two years. However, Monita Fontaine says it still is much smaller than those of other industries our size.
The money contributed to the PAC fund is donated only to members of Congress who are friends of the industry, explains Fontaine, the association’s vice president of government affairs. She points out that under NMMA’s current PAC budget, the association can’t even give $1,000 to every member of the Congressional Boating Caucus, which currently numbers about 100. And Fontaine wants to double the size of the caucus, particularly through more focus on the Senate.
The fund currently stands at about $140,000, and Fontaine’s goal for the next 2-year election cycle is $350,000. However, she says that as a $30- to $32-billion industry, we should be able to raise about half a million dollars for the PAC fund, something that would make lobbying in support of boating industry issues “far more effective.”
During the American Boating Congress in Washington, DC this year, NMMA President Thom Dammrich described a PAC as the “most transparent and effective way for people with a common interest to get their voice heard.” And with an increasing number of legislative issues on its plate, the boating industry needs to be heard in Washington. — Liz Walz

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