Advocacy in action blog

Being politically engaged is part of being a good NAIFA citizen. Understanding and working to influence public policy to promote financial security benefits NAIFA members' businesses, colleagues, clients, and communities, as well as all consumers. This election year, at least seven NAIFA members are taking their advocacy to the next level by running for statewide office.

The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future recently published results from a nationwide poll showing that the push for transforming the American health care system through a public option, Medicare-for-All or other government interventions in the market is losing traction with American voters.

NAIFA’s Get Out the Vote (GOTV) resources are now available to NAIFA members and the general public online at gotv4financialsecurity.org. The website provides educational materials to help NAIFA members and the consumers who they help achieve financial security understand how the election process works and make informed decisions at the polls.

On February 17, 2022, NAIFA joined with coalition members to send a letter to Steve Richetti, Counselor to President Biden, offering the support of the insurance agent and broker community for the administration to nominate members of the Board of Directors to establish the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act (NARAB).

NAIFA strongly supports consumer protections provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Regulation Best Interest and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC’s) revised annuity model regulation (adopted by 19 states and counting). Both of these provisions require financial professionals to work in their clients’ best interests and preserve the ability of consumers to choose who they work with and how they compensate advisors. Reg BI and the NAIC model also avoid problems with other proposals that would have made it very difficult for producers to continue working with Main Street investors.

NAIFA Trustee Wes Booker, LUTCF, CEO of the Wes Booker Agency, The Horace Mann Companies, in Maumelle, AR, has announced that he is a candidate for the Arkansas State House of Representatives. He is running for the seat serving House District 71.

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced the Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act, a bipartisan bill that would create a Securities and Exchange Commission program to work with state regulators to protect senior investors.

A new report by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging prominently features comments submitted by NAIFA that highlight the important ongoing role advisors play in retirement planning.

NAIFA has announced that it will hold its 2022 Congressional Congress in-person May 23-24 in Washington, D.C. The event will feature targeted advocacy training with briefings on legislative issues that affect members’ businesses and the clients they serve. Expert presenters will offer best practices for conducting Congressional meetings and tips for developing impactful long-term relationships with legislators.

Beginning on December 27, 2021, brokers and consultants will be held to new compensation  transparency obligations under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). The CAA is a spending  and coronavirus relief package that was signed into law on December 27, 2020 and expands ERISA’s existing disclosure requirements. It broadened the definition of a “covered plan” to include group health plans (previously it only included retirement plans).