Alaska Committee for the Advancement of Rural Electrification
The Alaska Committee for the Advancement of Rural Electrification (AK CARE) is a political action committee (PAC) that was organized by Alaska’s electric cooperative leaders in 1985. AK CARE provides financial support to candidates for the Alaska State Legislature who support electrification efforts that benefit Alaska’s electric consumers. AK CARE is nonpartisan and makes contributions on the basis of candidates’ support for positions and policies which are endorsed by the membership of Alaska Power Association.
Membership in AK CARE is open to any Active Member of Alaska Power Association with directors or employees who have contributed to AK CARE between February 1 and January 31 during election years. Each member may appoint one individual to represent them to AK CARE and provide input on legislative candidates for their region. Input from member representatives guides financial contribution decisions in bi-annual general elections.
The fiscal year for AK CARE is February 2 to February 1 of the following year. Contributions are recognized and reported for the fiscal year in which they are received. By law, all AK CARE contributions are reported to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC
America’s Electric Cooperatives (AEC) is the political action committee of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
AEC funds are personal contributions from local co-op managers, directors, employees, and member-owners of electric cooperatives. AEC is a true grassroots program, made up of activists who understand that political involvement is a necessary ingredient for success in the political process. AEC members come from all backgrounds and regions of the country and represent the interests of the nation’s nearly 1,000 not-for-profit electric cooperative systems and their 42,000,000 consumers in rural and suburban areas of the country.
AEC supports congressional candidates, regardless of party, who share public policy goals consistent with the mission of member-owned electric cooperatives. While AEC supports candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, it does not contribute to presidential campaigns. Approximately half of the contributions to AEC are returned to the statewide associations or political action committees for use in state elections.
All PAC contributions, including AEC’s monthly disclosure report, are available from the Federal Election Commission’s website.