The Purpose of the FPT-PAC is to:

• Collect and disperse FPT-PAC funds in a cost-efficient manner;
• Develop a plan for overall annual growth of FPT-PAC to meet needs over the next five years;
• Establish a plan for selection of legislators to receive PAC contributions;
• Report regularly to the Board of Directors regarding contributions that have been made or that are anticipated.
  

Click here for a FPTA-PAC donation form

Thank You 2006 Assembly Reps and Conference Attendees!!!!

The Florida Physical Therapy-Political Action Committee (FPT-PAC) would like to thank everyone who attended the recent FPTA Annual Conference and those Assembly Representatives present who became PAC members and bid on silent auction items at the conference.

We kicked the weekend off with a PAC Breakfast with Gene Adams of the Pennington Law Firm as key note speaker. (Gene, along with Martha Edenfield are the lobbyists for the FPTA.) Gene’s presentation included the reasons why we need to develop ever increasing PAC funds and ideas for how to fulfill our goals. He also discussed the importance of one-on-one contact with our legislators to ensure they know who we are when our issues come to the forefront in Tallahassee.

For the Silent Auction there were a total of 6 auction baskets donated by the East Central, South East and South West Districts. Jean Reynolds received the Camping Sleeping Bag Set; Sandy Davis the Camping Tent Set; Steve Sylvestor the Tailgaiting Set; Tracey Estok the Vacation-Her basket; Sharon Weil the Vacation-Him basket and Arie van Duijn the Pamper Her basket. PAC was able to raise $9,252 from the start of the conference through the close of the Assembly meeting. This brings our PAC total to $25,782 for the 2006 contribution year. This is well below our goal of $50,000, but still a number to be proud of.

I would encourage those who now have their new PAC pins to wear them to District and Sub-District meetings and to work to encourage peers to join PAC. You do not need to be a member of the FPTA to become a PAC member and all licensees in Florida should join their PAC. The goal of the FPT-PAC is to raise monies to help push agendas through legislation in Tallahassee that will better the working environment for all physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in Florida. For example the FPTA is actively pursuing unrestricted practice in physical therapy and will be lobbying in Tallahassee to remove the 21-day limitation to the current direct access we have as well as to remove the laundry list of which medical providers can refer to physical therapists. This means the PAC will need funds to help open the door to legislators’ offices to allow physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to have conversations with legislators as to why they should support our bill. This should not only be the responsibility of FPTA members, but the responsibility of all who will benefit from this process once complete. We know this will not pass in the first year, and we know that we need a minimum of $50,000 per year to make this happen. So, I urge all FPTA members to join their PAC and to encourage all licensees to join as well.

I do need to remind everyone that there is a difference between the PT-PAC and the FPT-PAC. The “PT-PAC” supports Federal issues in Washington DC and those funds cannot be funneled back to the States for their issues. So when you donate to the PT-PAC of the APTA, you are giving for National issues such as Direct Access under Medicare and to repeal the cap on Medicare. The FPT-PAC is your State PAC that deals with practice issues in the State of Florida. So, you need to give to both and to remember that we cannot share funds.

Finally I would like to remind you to contact your District PAC Chair or myself if you have any questions or would like to help out and get involved in the process. There is always an FPT-PAC membership form on the back of each edition of the Update. I would also like to thank the District PAC Chairs for all their help in putting together the Silent Auction items and in manning the PAC booth at conference with myself and members of the FPTA BoD. The contacts for the District PAC Chairs are: East Central District: Pamela Bayliss at pam.bayliss@peoplefirstrehab.com; Northern District: Tony Cere at tlcerept@yahoo.com ; North West District: (vacant Contact Ray Patterson – Regional Director at lindapat@bellsouth.net ); South East District: Melissa Brodsky at boiler593@adelphia.net; South West District: Jacqueline van Duijn at ariejacpt@comcast.net ; and West Central District: Jeff French at ptfeff@hotmail.com.

Keep your eyes open for fun PAC events through out your Districts in 2007 (that you and your friends can participate in) leading to a Grand Finale at Annual Conference.

FPT-PAC THANKS THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS FROM THE 2006 ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS

	DIAMOND MEMBERS - $1000
	RUBY MEMBERS - $750
	486 MEMBERS - $486
	PLATINUM MEMBERS -$250
	GOLD MEMBERS - $100
	SILVER MEMBERS - $50
	BRONZE MEMBERS - $25

Did you know?

For the second year in a row, all Florida Delegates to APTA House of Delegates were once again PT-PAC members. PT-PAC initiated a Chapter competition and Florida Delegates stepped up to the plate having 100%+ membership in PT-PAC. The Florida PTA Caucus Representative – Denise Overlock, and the Speaker of the APTA House of Delegates – Steve Levine (also a Florida member), belong to PT-PAC as well, giving Florida more than 100% participation on the National level.