ASTAPAC
AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR DEFENDING YOUR BUSINESS
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ASTAPAC represents the collective voice of the Society's travel advisor membership before the United States Congress. ASTAPAC funds are contributed a bipartisan manner to candidates whose views are consistent with ASTA on issues vital to the travel advisor and tourism industry.
Within the last five years alone, ASTAPAC has raised over $680,000 in support of worthy, pro-travel advisor candidates. |
Why does ASTA have a PAC?
PACs provide a seat at the table and another opportunity to discuss priorities directly with lawmakers. It allows ASTA to help our friends in Congress stay in Congress and continue to work on our behalf. Having a PAC also lets us build and strengthen relationships with the people who will help our businesses, and it demonstrates that ASTA is a player in the political arena.
Personal Funds vs Company Funds
Only personal funds can be donated to ASTAPAC, and only from ASTA members. Because ASTAPAC dollars go directly to political campaigns, corporate dollars can never be used for that. So we strongly encourage you to make a donation from your personal credit card, because then it directly goes to helping those legislators who help us.
We also have the ASTA Advocacy Fund. If you donate using your company credit card, the money will go to the Advocacy Fund. This fund cannot be used for political contributions, but it does help support all the other Advocacy work that ASTA does. When our Supplier friends donate to ASTA, or when the Rocky Mountain Chapter donates to ASTA, it goes to the Advocacy Fund.
We also have the ASTA Advocacy Fund. If you donate using your company credit card, the money will go to the Advocacy Fund. This fund cannot be used for political contributions, but it does help support all the other Advocacy work that ASTA does. When our Supplier friends donate to ASTA, or when the Rocky Mountain Chapter donates to ASTA, it goes to the Advocacy Fund.
Who gets the money?
ASTA distributes ASTAPAC donations to a wide range of legislators who demonstrate a commitment to protecting our interests. This includes both Democrats and Republicans. We know that everyone may have different thoughts about giving to a particular partner or another, but this is not about political ideologies, it's about protecting our businesses.
Our teams have spent a lot of time with legislators on both sides of the aisle to advocate for our needs, and it's ASTAPAC that gives us access to do that. The most boisterous and controversial figures on Capitol Hill get all the headlines, but it's the other hundreds of legislators that do the real work of helping Americans as a whole and Travel Advisors specifically. ASTAPAC is not the largest PAC (it's #7 in lodging and tourism) and we're certainly not any one legislator's biggest donor, but by simply having ASTAPAC and leveraging its funds wisely, it gives ASTA access to the people who can work on our behalf and pass the legislation we need to succeed.
Our teams have spent a lot of time with legislators on both sides of the aisle to advocate for our needs, and it's ASTAPAC that gives us access to do that. The most boisterous and controversial figures on Capitol Hill get all the headlines, but it's the other hundreds of legislators that do the real work of helping Americans as a whole and Travel Advisors specifically. ASTAPAC is not the largest PAC (it's #7 in lodging and tourism) and we're certainly not any one legislator's biggest donor, but by simply having ASTAPAC and leveraging its funds wisely, it gives ASTA access to the people who can work on our behalf and pass the legislation we need to succeed.
