Chamber of Commerce

But the object of this game isn't a home run, a touchdown or a slam-dunk — it's pushing preferred candidates into public office.

The chamber is using a year-old Political Action Committee to influence a handful of local elections this fall.

"In order to be successful in the political arena where decisions that impact business are made, you have to be a player," said Rob Guidry, the chamber's president and CEO. "And to be a player, you have to have money."

Guidry said the PAC and the chamber are separate entities in order to abide by IRS regulations, but the two groups are "attached at the hip."

Guidry said the PAC, which is called Empower PAC, will be used to influence local elections this fall. He said the PAC will be involved in any race for elected office with at least one voting precinct in Lafayette Parish, excluding offices elected statewide.

Empower PAC is still "very much in its infancy," Guidry said. But once it matures, Guidry said the chamber may use the PAC to influence even more elections.

Pearson Cross, chair of UL Lafayette's political science department, said the chamber's PAC is a natural step.

"They're realizing that to be as effecting as they would like to be, they have to get involved in the political process," Cross said. "This PAC represents a different level of advancing the chamber's pro-business, anti-regulation, anti-tax agenda in way that is probably more satisfying for the chamber."

Guidry said the chamber also used the year-old PAC in the previous Lafayette Parish School Board elections, but this fall marks the first widespread elections in which the PAC will be involved.

According to documents filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, the Empower PAC supported seven candidates — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — with $500 donations to each of those candidates during that school board election.

The chamber is also using the Empower PAC to bolster the candidacy of eight candidates seeking re-election to the state Legislature this fall.

According to documents filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, Empower PAC gave $500 to each of the following incumbent candidates in the state Legislature: Rep. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, who represents the 43rd District; Rep. Joel Robideaux, I-Lafayette, who represents the 45th District; Sen. Jonathan Perry, R-Kaplan, who represents the 26th District; Rep. Simone Champagne, R-Jeanerette, who represents the 49th District; Rep. Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, who represents the 48th District; Sen. Fred Mills, R-New Iberia, who represents the 22nd District; Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette, who represents the 31st District; Sen. Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas, who represents the 24th District.

The most money Empower PAC has had on hand at one time is the nearly $22,500 the committee disclosed in its report covering Jan. 1 to April 22 of this year, according to documents filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program.

The most recent Empower PAC report filed with the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program shows the committee ended the April 23 to July 22 period with about $9,150 on hand.

Apart from donations to various candidates, the rest of the money has mostly gone to typical operating expenses like hosting board meetings, buying stamps, maintaining a website and PAC registration fees.

Between Jan. 1 and July 22, Empower PAC also paid a total of $5,625 Briggs Capital Strategies, LLC for contract lobbyist services. According to the Louisiana secretary of state's online corporations database, that firm is lead by Gifford Briggs.

Under state law, a PAC like the Chamber's can donate $5,000 to any candidate or candidate for major offices per election, with primaries and general elections counting as separate elections.

State law limits PACs to $2,500 contributions per election to candidates for district offices or candidate committees for district office, with primaries and general elections counting as separate elections.

State law also allows Empower PAC to give money to other PACs, but the legal contribution amount ranges up to $5,000 depending on which elections the PAC receiving funds is trying to influence.

Developing the PAC

Guidry said the chamber looked into the possibility of creating a PAC for nearly 40 years.

"It wasn't until the socio-political economic situation got to where it was a year ago that the board decided to in fact take the bold leap to create the PAC," Guidry said. "We need to become more involved in the political process and speak on behalf of the business sector."

Guidry said the PAC will endorse incumbent candidates this fall based on the voting records of the chamber's Public Policy Package. At the start of each state legislative session, the chamber takes a stance on several dozen bills and tells politicians how the chamber would like them to vote.

If a candidate votes in agreement with 75 percent or more of the chamber's stances, the chamber will endorse that incumbent politician, Guidry said. If a candidate is either not an incumbent or doesn't meet the 75 percent threshold, the chamber will interview the candidate and make a decision about an endorsement.

But the PAC also gives the chamber the ability to oppose candidates. If the chamber takes issue with a candidate, the PAC can fund a campaign to keep that candidate out of office.

The PAC also isn't limited to supporting and opposing candidates. The chamber can fund campaigns for or against referendums and policies using the Empower PAC money.

"Our PAC also allows us to be issues oriented," Guidry said.

Guidry is listed as Empower PAC's chairman, and Jan Swift, who is on the chamber's Board of Directors through her role as director of the Upper Lafayette Economic Development Foundation, is listed as its treasurer.

Additional directors for Empower PAC include: Bill Fenstermaker, CEO of C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates; Paul Favaron, who is on the Chamber's Board of Directors through his job with Lafayette Coca Cola Bottling Company; Reggie Dupre, CEO of Dupre Logistics, LLC; and Charles Trent, an insurance and risk advisor for Landry Harris and Co.

Ian Scott, a spokesman for the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, said a "significant percentage" of Chambers across the U.S. use PACs to influence elections. What those PACs do, however, varies widely based on what the laws of individual states permit.

"A PAC is one tool to get directly involved in electoral politics," Scott said. "Being involved in electoral politics is an important thing for a Chamber to do."

Where the money comes from

Under state law, donations to PACs are monitored during four-year periods, and donors can give up to the specified amount during each four-year period.

Those limitations include PACs accepting $100,000 donations from individuals, family members of candidates and legal entities.

PACs can also accept up to $5,000 from other PACs depending on the type of elections the receiving PAC will try to influence. A PAC with more than 250 members, however, can give another PAC up to $10,000 depending on the type of election the receiving PAC will try to influence.

Furthermore, there are no limits on how much money the Democratic or Republican Party or related committees can give a PAC.

All donations to a PAC must be documented, and cash donations are more strictly regulated than monetary donations made by check. State law prohibits PACs from accepting any donations from anonymous sources.

Guidry would not say either how much money the PAC has raised or how many donors have contributed to it.

"We are well financed," he said. "Political experts tell us that it won't be long before we are really attracting a significant amount of money."