PIA's Premier Grassroots Event

What Is the Federal Legislative Summit?

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 2013 PIA FLS begins on the evening of Wednesday, April 10 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.

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

Issues to Be Addressed at the 2013 FLS

Participants in the 2013 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 under the 2013 FLS Quick Links section. Issue Papers will be updated, as needed, prior to the event so check back often! For more information about the issues PIA will be focusing on at the 2013 FLS, please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s 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 Capital 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 registration form (below) and sending it in to PIA National.

Register for Event

Click here to download the 2013 FLS registration form

Please note: This 2013 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, April 12 through Sunday, April 14 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 Marriott, call 800-228-9290 or 703-413-5500. The PIA group rate is $189/night. Be sure to reference the PIA group code "NACNACA". You can also register online 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 or to request a PIA National representative at your meeting(s), please contact Mike Becker, PIA National's Vice President of Federal Affairs, at either (703) 518-1365 or mikebe@pianet.org.

Scheduling Congressional Visits

When scheduling congressional visits, remember that the 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 webpage will be updated as the FLS draws closer and as the specific issues PIA would like FLS attendees to discuss are determined. However, you can presume that a couple 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; and (2) 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 materials will be provided at briefing sessions on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.

Contact Information

Have a question about the FLS? Please contact Mike Becker, PIA National’s 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.