The annual PIA Federal Legislative Summit (FLS) is a gathering of PIA members who come together in the nation’s capital to meet with their elected representatives. It is an opportunity to meet/reacquaint yourself with your Members of Congress and to demonstrate to them that you are willing to take time out of your busy schedule to travel to Washington, DC to discuss issues that are of importance to independent insurance agents.

What Happens at the FLS?

The 2012 PIA FLS begins on the evening of Wednesday, March 21 with an in-depth issue briefing and Q&A at the Crystal City Marriott. A special “early bird” briefing can be arranged for Wednesday morning if you wish to get an early start on Capitol Hill.

The following morning, participants will gather for a kickoff breakfast. Agents spend the remainder of the day on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers regarding issues that are important to professional independent insurance agents. Between visits to Members of Congress, participants will be able to unwind and report on their progress in the Debriefing Room, conveniently located on Capitol Hill.

Following the day of lobbying on the Hill, all FLS participants are invited to a reception, sponsored by The Partnership.

Additionally, the Professional Insurance Agents Political Action Committee (PIAPAC) will also hold its annual PIAPAC Fundraising Dinner later that evening. All FLS participants are encouraged to attend. For questions about this event, contact PIA’s Legislative Assistant, Julia Domagalski at either (703) 518-1364 or juliado@pianet.org.

Issues to Be Addressed at the 2012 FLS

Participants in the 2012 PIA FLS will focus on a few issues that are of the utmost importance to independent insurance agents. All registrants will receive printed position papers, talking point note cards, tips for conducting successful congressional visits and other materials to ensure their visits are successful. Our current Issue Papers are listed below. Issue Papers will be updated, as needed, prior to the event so check back often!

Issue Papers

1. National Flood Insurance Program 
2. Crop Insurance 
3. Natural Disaster Legislation 
4. PIA Principles for Health Care Reform
5. Modern State Regulation of Insurance 
6. Antitrust Legislation 
7. Producer Licensing 

For more information about the issues PIA will be focusing on at the 2012 FLS, please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s Assistant Vice President of Federal Affairs, at either (703) 518-1365 or mikebe@pianet.org.

Where Do I Start? 

If you’ve never visited your lawmakers on Capitol Hill this process may seem intimidating. Rest assured the staff at PIA and many PIA members in your home state have done this before and will be with you every step of the way.

Start by completing the below registration form and sending in to PIA National.

Register for Event

Click here to download the 2012 FLS registration form.

Please note: This registration form is a combined registration form for the FLS, PIAPAC dinner and also the Spring PIA National board and committee meetings. Please disregard the sections for Friday, March 23 through Saturday, March 24 if you are not planning to attend those meetings, which are not part of the FLS and PIAPAC events.

Reserve Hotel Room


If you’re ready, you can book your hotel room now under PIA National’s room block at the Crystal City Marriott. The hotel is located at 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia 22202. It is approximately 1 mile from Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) and is located by the Crystal City stop on Metro’s Blue and Yellow lines.

To reserve your room at the Crystal City Marriot, call 800-228-9290 or 703-413-5500 no later than Tuesday, February 28, 2012. The PIA group rate is $189/night. Be sure to reference the PIA Group code ("NAPNAPA"). You can also register on-line by clicking here.

State Delegations

Although logistics for each state’s delegation vary, generally delegation’s visit Senators together. As schedules permit, delegation’s visit constituent’s Representatives as a whole or in clusters, ensuring that a seasoned FLS veteran is present at each visit.

To find out who coordinates FLS activities for PIA members in your home state or to request a PIA National representative at your meetings, please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s Assistant Vice President of Federal Affairs, at either (703) 518-1365 or mikebe@pianet.org.

Scheduling Congressional Visits

When scheduling congressional visits, remember that U.S. mail service to Capitol Hill is extremely slow.

The best way to contact your Member of Congress is to call their Washington, D.C. office and ask to speak with the scheduler. Most likely the scheduler will ask the name of your group (PIA) and how many people will be in attendance.

Senate Contact Information
House Contact Information
 
To prepare for the meeting, the Member of Congress may want to know what issues you want to speak about. This web page will be updated as the FLS draws closer and the specific issues PIA would like FLS attendees to discuss are determined. However, you can presume that a few of the issues that PIA will ask attendees to discuss with their Members of Congress are (1) that the insurance industry shouldn’t be federally regulated; (2) Congress should pass a long-term extension to the National Flood Insurance Program; and (3) Insurance agents across all lines of insurance shouldn’t have their compensation cut by the federal government.

Many offices may ask you to send a written request, especially if you want to meet with the Member, so be prepared to fax a letter requesting a meeting. Be sure to include all the information mentioned above.

Please let us know when you've scheduled meetings! Click here to let us know the date/time of your Congressional visits. This will help PIA staff schedule photographers and videographers for the day. When arranging the visit, please discuss the possibility of a photographer or videographer attending the meeting. Determine in advance if this is acceptable during the meeting (candid) or as an organized group photo (before, during or after the meeting).

Confirmation Packets

All registrants will receive an email confirming their registration shortly after their registration form is processed. Later, participants will receive a confirmation packet containing position papers, talking point note cards, tips for conducting successful congressional visits, directions and other materials.

Congressional handbooks, additional position papers and other support material will be provided at briefing sessions on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Contact Information

Have a question about the FLS? Please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s Assistant Vice President of Federal Affairs, at either (703) 518-1365 or mikebe@pianet.org.

Have a question about the PIAPAC Fundraising Dinner? Please contact Julia Domagalski, PIA National’s Legislative Assistant, at either (703) 518-1364 or juliado@pianet.org.