BIPAC

BIPAC

Founded	1963
Focus	Help the business community play a more active role in the public policy process
Location	Washington D.C.
Area served	United States
Key people	Jim Gerlach, President & CEO
Slogan	Powering Business Political Success
Website	bipac.org

BIPAC (Business-Industry Political Action Committee) is a purportedly nonpartisan, membership-supported, mission-driven, organization dedicated to increasing the political effectiveness of America’s business community.^[1] It is led by former U.S. Congressman Jim Gerlach, who served Pennsylvania's sixth congressional district from 2002-2014.^[2]

History

BIPAC was founded in 1963 as “an independent, nonpartisan group to serve as a political action arm for American business and industry.” It is known as the very first business political action committee (PAC).^[3] They conduct extensive biennial studies of employer-to-employee communications programs through both national polling and surveys within companies deploying a grassroots communications strategy.^[4]

Members of the business community, in August 1963, provided seed funding to establish BIPAC with the goal of electing business-friendly candidates.^[5] The group is not officially affiliated with either political party.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Operations

Several distinct legal entities operate within the framework of BIPAC:

• The Business Institute for Political Analysis is the operations and administrative core of BIPAC. It provides the bulk of BIPAC services and programs. The Institute is a membership organization that does not lobby Congress on issues.^[10]
• The Action Fund is the non-connected political action committee of BIPAC as recognized by the Federal Election Commission. Contributions to the Action Fund can come from individuals and other PACs, but not from corporations.^[10]
• BIPAC's Prosperity Project (P2) helps businesses to promote pro-business politicians to their employees.^[11] BIPAC's affiliated state deployment partners (those who officially host the Prosperity Project grassroots initiative in each state) include state Chambers of Commerce.^[11]
• The Friends of Adam Smith was established in November 2000 by the Board of Directors of the Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) along with many of its members. It is charged to research and promote the historical and relevant link between politics, public policy and economic freedom. It is a not-for-profit, fully incorporated foundation.^[12]

Initiatives

Employees Vote is a get out the vote initiative to encourage private-sector U.S. employees to vote. Employees Vote provides best practices to its network of businesses and trade groups about Get Out The Vote strategy. For instance, a business should never tell employees how to vote, but they can them employees information about polling locations; registration for voting deadlines; information on the candidates running; and details on the issues that matter to their employer.^[13]

References

1. "BIPAC.org - Who Are We"
2. "The Hill: Ex-Rep. Gerlach ditches K St. in return to campaign world"
3. "BIPAC.org - History"
4. "Harvard Business Review - Study: Employees Want Employers to Talk Politics" November 2, 2012
5. Political brokers: money, organizations, power, and people by Judith G Smith, publisher Liveright, New York, 1972. Chapter 5 "Business-Industry Political Action Committee" by Jonathan Cottin, discusses the origins of the group and its activities through 1970.
6. "GOP Angers Big Business on Key Issues" (June 21, 1998) Washington Post
7. "Business, GOP Chiefs Reconcile on Agenda" (July 8, 1998) Washington Post
8. Business Communications in a Post-Partisan Era
9. List of BIPAC's Candidate endorsements for 2010
10. Source Watch page on BIPAC
11. "Business Lobby: We Will Outgun Unions By 2010"
12. "Friends of Adam Smith Foundation"
13. "Bloomberg Businessweek, "Businesses Turn Out Workers’ Votes to Stomp Tea Party"

External links

• Official public website of BIPAC
• "BIPAC taps former Pennsylvania congressman to be CEO". Pennsylvania Business Daily. June 12, 2015.
• Woodman, Spencer (October 15, 2014). "Office Politics: Inside the PAC teaching corporate America how to make its employees vote for the right candidates and causes". Slate.