On September 25, Congress once again avoided a government shutdown after reaching a short-term deal, called a continuing resolution (CR), to fund the federal government. Included in the agreement was an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP, along with the rest of the federal government, will now be funded through December ..read more

Independent insurance agents from around the nation converged on Washington, D.C. on September 18 for PIA’s annual Advocacy Day. Agents met with Senators, Representatives, and congressional staff to discuss PIA’s key legislative issues. Among PIA’s top issues were building support for the Ensuring Access to Risk Management Act, a bipartisan bill requiring USDA’s Risk Management ..read more

The largest Medicare Part D (prescription drug) carrier recently announced its intent to eliminate independent agent commissions associated with Medicare Part D sales and renewals in 2025. These plans will also remove agents as the “agent of record” when they assist clients with the enrollment process. This decision jeopardizes seniors’ access to the expert guidance ..read more

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expires after September 30, 2024, and in a letter to Congressional leadership this week, PIA urged Congress to prevent a lapse and extend it for as long as possible. To that end, we have endorsed a bill introduced by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), S. 4772, the NFIP Extension Act ..read more

On August 20, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas set aside the finalized Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulation banning non-compete agreements. In its ruling, the Court concluded that the FTC had not provided sufficient evidence to justify a rule banning all non-competes. The court found the overly broad rule “arbitrary and ..read more

Mike Lawler was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2022 to represent New York’s 17th congressional district. Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Lawler founded his own government affairs firm and was a senior advisor to the Westchester County Executive. Rep. Lawler also served as executive director of the New York ..read more

PIA has released the five Issues of Focus in preparation for its upcoming 2024 Advocacy Day scheduled for September 18. PIA members will highlight these issues during their meetings with their elected representatives on Advocacy Day. While these issues are our focus for Advocacy Day in 2024, we always work to promote the interests of ..read more

Jimmy Panetta was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and currently represents California’s 19th district. Prior to his career in Congress, Rep. Panetta served as an intelligence officer for the United States Navy and was awarded the Bronze Star after a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2007. Rep. Panetta earned his J.D. from Santa Clara University and served as deputy district attorney for the District Attorney’s office of Monterey County, California. Rep. Panetta is the son of Leon Panetta, who served in several senior government positions including Secretary of Defense, CIA Direct ..read more

PIA has navigated a rush of flood-related activity over the past several weeks. Please read on for some highlights of PIA’s recent work on flood insurance. Proposed New NFIP Endorsements Late last year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) proposed significant regulatory changes to the documents governing the Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP) issued to policyholders whose properties are insured against the risk of flood through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NPRM contains significant proposed changes that would affect independent insurance agents who sell NFIP ..read more

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Overtime Rule was finalized in April and will be implemented in two phases for all affected workers. Phase 1 will become effective on Monday, July 1, 2024; Phase 2 will become effective on Jan. 1, 2025. Legal challenges may delay or narrow the scope of its implementation, or block the changes altogether, but, as of this writing (June 28, 2024), they have not changed its scheduled effective date. Click here for Part 1 of our agent-specific FAQ ..read more