Political Action Committee (PAC)

A PAC is a Political Action Committee.  Associations, companies, and other groups usually form PACs so that they can become involved in political races or in supporting elected officials that have similar viewpoints as the group. Federal law prohibits companies or associations from donating money directly to a campaign. Illinois Corn Growers Association has a state and a federal PAC that are completely separate entities with their own meetings, committees, and rules.  We are set up this way because Illinois law regarding election donations is very different from Federal law regarding election donations.

The ICGA PAC has a series of criteria that a candidate must meet in order to become eligible for a PAC donation.  Some things our committee considers are past voting history related to ICGA priorities, committee assignments, leadership positions, and accessibility to ICGA members. The ICGA PAC is bipartisan, supporting both Republican and Democrat candidates and elected officials according to the desires of our members and the above-listed criteria. The ICGA PAC empowers members to become politically active and to establish personal relationships with their elected officials.

To trigger the ICGA match, please contact the ICGA office at 309-557-3257 or adeal@ilcorn.org and indicate that you are interested in working with ICGA on an event for your elected official or favorite candidate. ICGA staff will work with you to determine if there is enough interest in that Congressional district to host an event and match the contributions of ICGA members. Typically, at least ten ICGA members are needed to host an ICGA PAC event for any given elected official or candidate.

• The ICGA PAC is funded by IL Corn Growers Association members. 

• Federal bylaws state that ICGA can only ask for money for its PAC from membership and that we can only request funding twice a year.  Our major fundraising request occurs yearly in August when we mail a request for PAC funding to our entire membership. ICGA also has a PAC fundraiser, typically in November, with a small auction and other fundraising games.

Due to federal guidelines, corporations and companies cannot give to elected officials.  If your farm check is similar to “Doe Farms Inc,” it cannot be put into our Federal PAC which will then go to an elected official. If your check states “Doe Farms” it likely can be deposited in our federal PAC account, but it’s likely that ICGA puts your farm check in the state PAC account because the state PAC has much less regulation. Your best bet when sending a contribution to the ICGA PAC is to use a personal check that simply states your name and address.

ICGA has a state and has a federal PAC. Both accounts are maintained separately because the federal PAC has more rules and regulations than the state PAC. IL Corn does support Illinois state elected officials through PAC dollars.