OSEIA Works to Amplify Political Voice

Earlier this month, OSEIA launched Oregon SolarPAC to begin to create a political arm for the solar industry.

What does a political action committee allow OSEIA to do? We can have conversations with candidates for public office while they are running and before the hectic pace of a legislative session starts. We can also make campaign contributions to support candidates for office, especially if we believe they are going to be strong supporters of good solar policy.

Are we buying votes in the legislature? No. We will still need to build a strong business and policy case and make solid arguments for the legislative proposals we push. But rather than waiting to start making those arguments at the start of a legislative session, we can start during the campaign season.

So where does the money come from to fund the PAC and make campaign contributions? To be direct, from you. We will be looking for hundreds of solar professionals and supporters to make small contributions from all over the state to strengthen solar’s voice in Oregon politics.

The good news is that making a contribution to Oregon SolarPAC could be taken off your state taxes. If you are a single tax filer, you can take any contribution to Oregon SolarPAC up to $50 off your state taxes when you file next year. If you are married and file jointly, you can take any political contribution up to $100 off your state taxes. Find out all about it here. Businesses can also donate to Oregon SolarPAC but only individual tax filers can claim the political tax credit.

If you donate to Oregon SolarPAC, you will get the chance to be part of communicating directly with legislative candidates and tell them how important solar is to the state. When it comes time to give contributions this fall, all donors will be invited to meetings with candidates in the district where you live or work and talk about what OSEIA hopes to do in the 2017 session. It’s a great opportunity to get involved to strengthen solar.

If you have any questions, e-mail OSEIA Executive Director Jeff Bissonnette at jeff@oseia.org. If you’re ready to make a contribution, go here and do your part to give solar a stronger political voice.

Thanks, as always, for your support. Donate here.