2010 PIA Federal Legislative Summit

PIA's Premier Grassroots Event

What Happens at the FLS?

The 2010 PIA FLS begins on Wednesday, March 17 with an in-depth issue briefing and Q&A at the Marriott Crystal City.  A special “early bird” briefing will be held Wednesday morning with a comprehensive issues briefing to be held Wednesday evening.

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 register: PIAPAC Dinner Registration Form (see bottom right portion of registration form)

2010 FLS Schedule of Events -- (coming soon) (Word document)

Issues to Be Addressed at the 2010 FLS

Participants in the 2010 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.

Position Papers

1. Healthcare Reform *
2. Federal Interference in the State-Based Insurance Regulatory System *
3. Natural Disaster Legislation *
4. National Flood Insurance Program *
5. Crop Insurance *

* As each of these issues is fluid, the position papers are subject to change.

For more information about the issues PIA will be focusing on at the 2010 FLS, please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s Director 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.

Register

Click here to download the 2010 FLS registration form.

Please note: This 2010 FLS 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 19 through Sunday, March 21 if you are not planning to attend those meetings, which are not part of the FLS and PIAPAC events.

Hotel reservations: Once again, the host hotel for the PIA FLS will be the Crystal City Marriott located at 1999 Jefferson David Highway, Arlington, VA 22202 near Reagan National Airport (and located near the Metro subway Blue and Orange lines).

To reserve your room at the Crystal City Marriott, call 800-228-9290 or 703-413-5500 no later than February 19, 2010.  The PIA group rate is $209/night.  Be sure to reference the PIA Group code ("PNTPNTA").  You can also register on-line by clicking here.

State Delegations

Although logistics for each state’s delegation vary, generally delegations visit Senators together. As schedules permit, delegations 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, please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s Director 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 still slow in the wake of September 11th.

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 government shouldn't operate as an insurance agency; (2) Congress shouldn't repeal the anti-trust exemption for insurance; (3) efforts to establish a federal regulatory structure for insurance (PIA believes strongly that insurance should continue to be regulated at the state level); and (2) the creation of a natural catastrophe program.

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/Support Material

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 17, 2010.

Contact Information

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