Key Person Program

Mission:

To promote and strive for the improvement of government by encouraging, stimulating and providing for the opportunity for certified public accountants and other to take a more active role in political and governmental activities that affect the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its citizenry.

To ensure that the Society has an effective Government Affairs program, it is important that the CPA profession project a unified voice when connecting with legislators that have jurisdiction over bills that are on our agenda. The Key Person Program serves as the backbone of the MSCPA's Government Affairs program as it ensures that the Society's pro-CPA agenda is advanced, the integrity of the CPA license is protected, and CPAs are recognized as a political force.

If you do not personally know a lawmaker, do not let that deter you. Theodore J. Flynn, CEO/Presient will assist you in the process. Also, party affiliation should not be an obstacle. Your legislator represents the entire district. You need not be a member of his or her political party to establish a relationship.

Download the Guide to Participating in the Legislative Process

Who is a Key Person?

Key Persons are CPAs who recognize the difference that individuals can make in the legislative process on behalf of the profession, their clients, and the public.

Highlights of the Key Person Program:

  • Reinforces to legislators that the views expressed by the MSCPA reflects the views of the legislators' constituents.
  • Heightens the legislator's accountability to his or her constituents and provides a second avenue to influence public policy decisions.
  • Localizes and personalizes the political impact of legislation.
Become a Key Person Now!
 

Key Person Objectives/Duties:

  • Represent the profession to one or more of your federal or state legislators.
  • The main duty of a Key Person contact is to maintain a personal, constituent relationship with the legislator based on mutual trust and respect.
  • Know your legislator's political background, issue priorities, and committees he or she serves on.
  • Be prepared to respond to our Call to Action program. You may receive an urgent phone call or email requesting that you contact your legislator immediately and request their assistance.
  • Let the legislator(s) know that you are available to assist them in any way on accounting issues of interest to them.
  • Reinforce the constituent relationship with your legislator by regularly communicating professional and nonprofessional issues that may be of interest to him or her and their staff.
  • Attempt to keep current on state/federal legislative issues. Having knowledge of proposed or pending legislative issues concerning the accounting profession will aid in keeping the legislator(s) abreast of MSCPA's position.
  • Build community understanding and support for the profession and its position on the issues.
  • Maintain regular contact with specific legislators whom you know on a personal basis.
  • Provide feedback to the Government Affairs team that is useful in developing legislative strategy and achieving MSCPA's objectives.
  • Activities of note by a Key Person should be reported to the Government Affairs Coordinator using the response forms or written/e-mail correspondence. Any ideas for, or comments on legislative activities, are greatly appreciated.
  • Any change in your status, including address or of new contacts, should be reported to Theodore J Flynn, CEO/President at tjflynn@MSCPAonline.org.
 

Can't spare the time but still want to help?

Donate to the PAC!

In order to have a strong, unified, voice on Beacon Hill, the MSCPA formed a Political Action Committee to help elect political candidates who support issues of the profession and are working to make Massachusetts an attractive place to grow your business. Perhaps, in the past, you thought it wasn't necessary to get involved in the political process, but that is no longer the case. If we do not act aggressively our voices will not get heard. A key factor in determining the strength of the accounting profession in Massachusetts' political arena is in the strength of the MSCPA/PAC.

Contact Your Legislator

There are approximately 10,000 bills filed each year in Massachusetts and state legislators cannot be knowledgeable about each of them. Your Senator and Representative are elected to represent you and need to hear your view on upcoming legislation. Keep tabs on the Legislative Agenda and contact your legislators when hot issues arise.