The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization that serves the interests of Iranian Americans and represents the community before U.S. policymakers and the American public at large.
We work to expand opportunities for the active participation of Iranian Americans in the democratic process at all levels of government and in public debate, provide opportunities for advancement for our next generation, and educate the American public and policymakers on the Iranian American community and their opinions.
The Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) is the registered bipartisan connected PAC of PAAIA. IAPAC contributes to candidates for public office who are attuned to the concerns of the Iranian American community. In addition, IAPAC supports and encourages Iranian Americans to actively participate in the U.S. democratic process and run for public office.
Political Action Committees are an important part of the American political process. IAPAC is a critical tool in PAAIA’s advocacy efforts. To assure that our message is heard on Capitol Hill, IAPAC contributions are a means of access to discuss policy positions and/or educate our elected officials, and encourage increased community participation.
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is the popular term for a political committee that is organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates for public office. A PAC can represent business, labor or ethnic interests and be organized as a connected (separate segregated fund) or as a non-connected committee. According to FEC guidelines, a PAC must register within 10 days of its formation and provide the names and addresses for the PAC officials and members and any connected organization.
Executive Director
Neda Bolourchi
Dr. Neda Bolourchi is both a subject matter expert on the Middle East and a functional expert on governance, rule of law, elections, and human rights. She joined PAAIA after years in the academic, consulting, and legal professions.
Most recently Dr. Bolourchi held the position of Associate Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, which she joined after earning her PhD at Columbia University. Dr. Bolourchi taught about the Middle East, human rights, theories of revolution, and political movements. Her focus regarding Iran has been on secular notions of sacrificial rhetoric and imagery prior to 1979 and Jewish Iranian participation in the Iran-Iraq War. She has been working on related articles and book projects.
With her in-depth knowledge of these subjects, her opinions and writings have been featured in a variety of publications including the Foreign Policy Research Institute, International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Atlantic Council, several Jane’s publications, Praeger Security, Congressional Quarterly’s Political Handbook of the World, USA Today, as well as the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, and Sirius XM’s Progress Channel with Nayyera Haq, among others.
NGOs, corporations, and the government have asked for her advice on diverse topics within her specializations. Recently, she served on a legal team for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
Information about PACs
- A contribution to a PAC is anything of value given to influence a federal election. This includes gifts of money, gifts of goods and services (in-kind contributions) and loans and guarantees or endorsements of loans.
- All receipts to a PAC must be forwarded to the Treasurer or designated assistant for deposit immediately. Prior to depositing the funds, the Treasurer or his/her designee must review each check to determine if any on their face are illegal or questionable.n
- A PAC may only receive contributions from U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are eighteen years or older. Foreign nationals are prohibited from contributing to a PAC.
- A PAC is prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations and labor unions.
- A PAC is prohibited from accepting contributions from federal government contractors.
- A PAC may raise funds by selling fundraising items or tickets to fundraising events. The full price for the ticket or event is the contribution amount, even if a part of the costs are going to defray the cost of the fundraising program.
- Any contribution more than $100.00 must be received via check or written instrument.
- A copy of each solicitation, receipt, response card and return contributions must be maintained by a PAC for a minimum of three (3) years for FEC purposes.
- A PAC may receive up to $5,000 per calendar year from a legal contributor for its federal account.
- The maximum contribution to a federal candidate from a multi-candidate PAC is $5,000 per election.
- The maximum contribution to a federal candidate from a non-multi-candidate PAC is $1,000 per election.
- To qualify as a multi-candidate committee, a non-connected PAC must receive contributions from at least 51 persons, be registered with the FEC for at least six months and contribute to at least five federal candidates.
- A multi-candidate PAC may give $15,000 per year to a national party committee.
- A non-multi-candidate PAC may give $20,000 per year to a national party committee.
- The Republican and Democratic parties each have three national party committees. A non-connected PAC may also make independent expenditures or conduct issue advertising.
- A non-connected PAC must file monthly or quarterly reports of its receipts, expenditures and contributions to the FEC.
Read more on source:https://iranianamericanpac.org/
