Dear Members, Time and again, we are told the next election is the most crucial for the country. The reality is the vision community is being impacted more than ever before by an increasingly complex legislative and regulatory environment, whether we find ourselves in an election year or not.
Therefore, The Vision Council is relaunching VisionPAC to enhance the vision community’s reputation among government officials and strengthen its impact on public policy through collaboration and formation of strategic alliances.
VisionPAC will play a vital role upholding The Vision Council’s mission – positioning members for success by promoting growth in the vision care industry through education, advocacy, research, consumer outreach, strategic relationship building and industry forums. Over the last decade, The Vision Council has built congressional staff relationships which have been invaluable in educating congressional offices about vision and the interests of our members.
This year, The Vision Council has expanded on this success by enlarging the Government Relations department, increasing member engagement by over 200 percent, advocating for tariff relief and exclusions and responding to agency requests. Additionally, our team has engaged with the United States Trade Representative, Food and Drug Administration and the National Economic Council on a variety of issues.
PACs, or Political Action Committees, are an important tool that give us the opportunity to meet with and discuss our priorities with elected officials.
Associations across a multitude of industries attempt to position themselves strategically for the attention of a finite number of policymakers. VisionPAC is a vital, issue-mobilizing force that will allow The Vision Council to protect and promote the interests of our members.
In a few weeks, a “Prior Authorization form” will be sent to members and it must be completed before any funds may be solicited from eligible employees of member companies. The Federal Election Commission requires all trade associations to obtain signatures and maintain a record of these forms. The form will also be available on The Vision Council’s website on the Government & Regulatory Affairs page in the coming weeks.
VisionPAC is essential to securing eyecare as an integral part of healthcare with the support of pro-vision care representation in Congress. Please consider signing the Prior Authorization form and becoming a part of VisionPAC.
Sincerely,
Ashley Mills
CEO, The Vision Council