As our National Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee (NEMPAC) Board examined our accomplishments in the 2020 election cycle and prepared for the 117th Congress, an act of violence took place at our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. This event and votes that day to certify the election results generated thoughtful, and sometimes emotional, communications from ACEP members to our Board and ACEP leaders.

Many suggested the day’s events should be integrated into NEMPAC’s giving criteria going forward and some members of Congress should be held accountable. For the past several months, our Board has been thoroughly evaluating our current criteria and considering the viewpoints of ACEP members who have called, emailed, and responded to a member-wide NEMPAC survey.

We pride ourselves on being a PAC that listens, and we are committed to keeping an open, transparent dialogue with our donors going forward. Only ACEP members can support NEMPAC, so it is incumbent upon us to be responsible stewards of your contributions.

We want you to know your voices are valued and we are taking action. We have made some changes to our criteria for the 2022 election cycle after reviewing the feedback of ACEP members and reflections of our PAC Board.

Evaluation criteria for the 2022 elections will continue to follow past NEMPAC practices of focusing on a candidate’s support of ACEP’s key legislative and regulatory initiatives, co-sponsorship of ACEP legislation, committee assignment, leadership position, relationship to state chapter and/or local ACEP members, and difficulty of the reelection race.

We have also now made it clear in our guidelines that candidates and incumbents who receive NEMPAC support are expected to exhibit behavior and actions consistent with the mission, vision, and values of ACEP and uphold the principles of our nation’s democratic process and orderly governance.

We believe NEMPAC-supported candidates should affirm science, evidence, and fact in their words and actions. We also intend to assess the integrity and character of the candidates on an ongoing basis and may consider ceasing contributions to a candidate or committee if credible, specific, and serious allegations about the candidate’s behavior arise. NEMPAC will also continue our commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity.

Please know that a decision to financially support a candidate for office is not an endorsement of every vote the candidate has or will cast in Congress. NEMPAC supports candidates based on their ability to influence emergency medicine–related issues affecting your practice environment and access to care for patients.