Advocacy

SEMA PAC 101: Why Should SEMA Members Pay Attention to Politics?

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

There is a saying in the nation’s capital, “if you aren’t at the table, then you’re on the menu.” It may sound cliché, but it’s true.

Earlier this month, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and a new Congress took office. With them comes a new legislative and regulatory agenda that could have a significant impact on the specialty automotive aftermarket industry and its future. In the coming weeks and months, it is expected that Congress will aggressively tackle climate change, trade, taxes, and vehicle technology regulations, among a host of other issues. It’s critical that SEMA be well positioned to meet this issues head on.

One important way SEMA members can help flex the industry’s political muscle is through the SEMA Political Action Committee (SEMA PAC).

By law, SEMA may not use association funds to impact the electoral process. However, SEMA PAC allows employees of SEMA-member companies to contribute their personal funds to help elect lawmakers who support our industry’s positions and initiatives. Government rules require SEMA PAC to get each member company’s permission before it can ask for support. It’s an easy process known as becoming prior approved and it only takes minutes. To find out if your company is prior approved, or to become prior approved yourself, click here. To make things even easier for you, when you log on, the form is partially filled out for you. Becoming prior approved does not obligate you to contribute.

For more information, please contact Christian Robinson at christianr@sema.org.