A political action committee (PAC) is any organization in the United States that campaigns for or against a candidate, ballot initiatives or legislation. At the federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, according to the Federal Election Campaign Act. At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state's election laws.
Read more about Political Action Committee: History of PACs in The United States, Categorization of PACs, Keeping Donor Lists Hidden From Voters, The PAC Backlash, Federal Level Backlash, State Level Advisory Requests Pending, Legal Backlash At State Level, Super PAC Backlash, Congressional Backlash, Defending Super PAC Contributions, James Bopp, International Comparison and Response, 2008 Election, 2012 Election (estimates)
Famous quotes containing the words political, action and/or committee:
“Modern equalitarian societies ... whether democratic or authoritarian in their political forms, always base themselves on the claim that they are making life happier.... Happiness thus becomes the chief political issue—in a sense, the only political issue—and for that reason it can never be treated as an issue at all.”
—Robert Warshow (1917–1955)
“In the life of the human spirit, words are action, much more so than many of us may realize who live in countries where freedom of expression is taken for granted. The leaders of totalitarian nations understand this very well. The proof is that words are precisely the action for which dissidents in those countries are being persecuted.”
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“In inner-party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organization substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organization, and, finally, a “dictator” substitutes himself for the central committee.”
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940)