Agents and brokers called Washington, D.C. home for several days earlier this month as they brought a number of industry issues with them to the 27th National Legislative Conference.
As Jeff Myers, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) vice president of Communications noted, attendees had a chance to hit Capitol Hill and discuss industry matters and hear from several senators.
“I think overall it was excellent,” Myers said. “We had 800 agents on the Hill lobbying on the issues important to them. We made considerable impact on asbestos litigation, state insurance regulation, and numerous other concerns important to the livelihood of independent agents. I thought the speakers were excellent and in addition to speaking about some broad national issues, they also bored in on several issues important to agents.
A number of California attendees headed to Capitol Hill one morning to meet with Calif. Congressman David Dreier.
Among them was Geoff Johansing of Pasadena-based Cass & Johansing Insurance Brokers. Johansing noted that, “The most valuable part of the conference was the ability to ‘join forces’ and let our representative know where we stand. Having the opportunity to explain our stance on issues while hearing that they want to know where we stand is extremely valuable and pushes me to become more involved. My overall impression is that we can make a difference.”
John Hatton of Pasadena-based Bolton & Company said that the most valuable part of the trip was “The actual meeting with our representatives. I thought the topics of discussion [at the conference] were very valuable and of great concern to the agents and brokers.” Bolton & Company’s Ken Turknette pointed out the value for him was “To see, firsthand, the ‘inner workings’ of Capitol Hill and the procedures that meeting your Congressman and being able to express your own viewpoints on issues that are pertinent to our industry. I was quite impressed as to the scope of the event [conference] and would certainly plan on going again.”
Rick Dinger, president of Glendale-based Crescenta Valley Insurance and InsurPac’s state chair in California, was honored with the InsurPac Young Agent Recognition award, given annually to the young agent or broker making the most significant impact on fund-raising efforts for InsurPac – the political action committee (PAC) of the IIABA. California raised $17,325 for InsurPac last year, including $3,775 from young agents.
For Dinger, this was his fifth IIABA Conference, and he noted that, “The ability to meet one on one with your Congressman or his staff to address issues that are facing our industry and our clients is invaluable. IIABA does a phenomenal job with the organization and presenting the information so that the agents are able to quickly understand it and present it to our lawmakers.”
According to Myers, while the conference is officially over, the feedback from the 2003 event will continue to be of benefit to many.
“This conference despite being finished really isn’t over. The results of the agents’ visits will continue to percolate on Capitol Hill for months and weeks to come. This year’s conference ended up being our third best attended ever.”
To comment on this story, email dthomas@insurancejournal.com.
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