Insurance and financial advisors from states across the country visited Capitol Hill on May 24 for meetings with more than 325 congressional offices, including lawmakers and senior staff. The day on the Hill is the highlight of Day 2 of NAIFA’s annual Congressional Conference.

The Congressional Conference is the signature grassroots advocacy event of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. It returned as an in-person event in Washington, D.C., this year. Traditionally the largest association fly-in in the insurance and financial services industry, Congressional Conference has been held as a virtual event the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

More than 500 financial professionals registered to attend. They received advocacy briefings and grassroots training. The keynote speaker for Day 1 of the Congressional Conference was Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), an influential member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees. A Day 1 CEO panel, moderated by NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE, featured the leaders of top industry associations: Wayne Chopus, President and CEO of the Insured Retirement Institute, George Nichols, III, President and CEO of The American College, and Susan Neely, President and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers.

During meetings with lawmakers and staff, attendees discussed the important services insurance and financial advisors provide Main Street Americans and how policy decisions impact NAIFA’s goal of providing financial security for all. They encouraged Senators to pass the SECURE 2.0 retirement legislation and asked lawmakers to preserve the status of agents and advisors as independent contractors.

“The Congressional Conference is NAIFA’s signature advocacy event and is crucial to our grassroots strategy,” said NAIFA CEO Kevin Mayeux, CAE. “The event brings NAIFA members together as a critical mass to advocate on behalf of their businesses, clients, consumers, and the insurance and financial services industry. At Congressional Conference, financial professionals speak as a unified voice on behalf of their clients and communities. Lawmakers are keenly receptive to the stories and ideas of agents and advisors who work directly with Main Street Americans, making the impact of the event undeniable.”

This year’s Congressional Conference builds on the grassroots success of NAIFA’s December National Leadership Conference. At that event, NAIFA members were among the first groups allowed to visit reopened congressional offices, which had been closed to the public under security restrictions and COVID-19 protocols.

The Congressional Conference bolsters NAIFA’s prestige among lawmakers and industry partners and enhances the association’s standing as the leading voice for insurance and financial professionals. It is crucial for ensuring lawmakers thoroughly understand the important role insurance and financial professionals play in:

• Providing products, services, and advice that improve the financial security of 90 million American families.
• Promoting financial literacy and self-sufficiency in diverse communities.
• Strengthening the U.S. economy and contributing to the financial health of communities in every congressional district.
• Representing the best interests of their clients and promoting the success of Main Street Americans and businesses.

A group of NAIFA's Congressional Conference attendees poses following the May 23 briefing and training session. More than 500 financial professionals registered for the event.

Congressional Conference attendees with early Congressional office appointments brave the weather to pose for a photo in front of the U.S. Capitol. Throughout Day 2 of the Conference, attendees had more than 325 meetings with lawmakers and their staff.