Advocacy in action blog

It’s not just luck that makes NAIFA the leading political advocacy association for insurance and financial professionals in the United States. It takes hard work, a dedicated and informed membership and strong leadership throughout our association chapters. Today’s NAIFA Leadership Blueprint training focused on advocacy to ensure that chapter volunteer leaders have the training and resources they need to empower their states’ NAIFA members and build on NAIFA’s advocacy strength.

Team of industry stalwarts in the state will lead NAIFA’s New York chapter until state members select a new Board to take office in January.

NAIFA’s North Central Iowa chapter recently hosted a legislative breakfast session that included a question and answer session with State Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink (R-Fort Dodge, District 5), state Rep. Ann Meyer (R-Fort Dodge, District 9); and Jack Friend (D-Ames, candidate for Iowa House District 48).

The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner recently announced that two NAIFA-WA members were selected to serve on the commissioner’s Life & Disability Producer Advisory Committee. The members, Robert Rockett and Mark Ingersoll, are both independent Life Insurance, Annuity, Disability Income, and LTCi wholesalers.

Rockett, of Rockett Financial Services, in Raymond, WA, is a New York Life Advisor and long-time active member of NAIFA. “He brings decades of rural financial planning experience as well as the relationship with New York Life,” said Wayne Lundy, NAIFA-WA’s immediate past president.

Ingersoll is President and CEO of Washington Brokerage in Seattle. “Mark also has decades of experience and brings the wholesaler side of the industry to the ear of the Commissioner’s office,” Lundy said. “NAIFA Washington is very pleased to have these two very knowledgeable members sitting on this committee.”

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner appoints members to act as consultants to the agency. One committee represents life and disability markets. Another committee represents property and casualty markets.

The commissioner and agency executives meet with committee members twice a year to discuss critical issues and developments within the industry.

NAIFA-NJ is fighting two bills that establish a tax on high quantity processors of financial transactions, S-2902, and A-4402. NAIFA’s opposition is strengthened by coalition partners that consist of other trade associations representing 200,000 workers in the financial services industry in New Jersey, throughout the U.S., and other business groups in the state. On October 6, the coalition sent a letter to John McKeon, Chairman of the General Assembly, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney. The letter encouraged the lawmakers to consider the following as they debate moving forward with the legislation:

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) is pleased with NCOIL’s adoption of the Short Term Limited Duration Insurance Model Act sponsored by IN Representative Martin Carbaugh. NAIFA has long reasoned that STLDI plans can ensure that consumers are able to maintain critical and temporary health insurance coverage especially in instances where a consumer lost his or her individual market or group policy and needs sufficient time to obtain a more comprehensive insurance plan.  Also, in some health insurance markets where there are very few and cost prohibitive plans available for consumers, STDLI policies may offer consumers the only affordable, albeit temporary, option. 

The House has passed the updated HEROES Act by a vote of 214 to 207. The partisan bill is not expected to be considered by the Senate.