Advocacy in action blog

North Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill that would impose a three-year ban on the sale of long-term care insurance policies. The bill, SB 2253, has four sponsors seeking to use the three-year moratorium to study the market and premium increases.

NAIFA-IL has sent a call to action to its members to urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto a bill that sets a prejudgment interest at the rate of 9% per year on all tort actions seeking recovery for personal injury or wrongful death.

Virginia House Bill 2174 would establish the VirginiaSaves Program, a state-run automatic enrollment payroll deduction IRA savings program. The program would be optional for employees, but would require employers with five or more employees that do not offer retirement plans to set up a payroll deduction and retirement savings plan through the state-run system.

Elizabeth Pate, a NAIFA-VA Board member and Past President for the state chapter, testified via Zoom before the Virginia House of Delegates Appropriations Compensation and General Government Subcommittee that NAIFA-VA has concerns about the proposed program.

Pate said that NAIFA applauds efforts by the Virginia General Assembly to help Virginians prepare for retirement, but cannot support the legislation as it currently stands. She noted that the federal SECURE Act makes it easier for employers to band together and offer retirement plans in a cost-effective manner. This achieves the goal of encouraging greater retirement preparation by employees without creating a state-run plan to compete with the private sector.

Plans created under the SECURE Act, she noted, would give participants protections afforded by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), while it appears VirginiaSaves participants would not benefit from ERISA protections.

Pate also noted that enrollees in the state-run program would lack access to personalized advice from financial professionals that many participants in private-market plans receive.

Several members of the Subcommittee raised questions about potential financial impacts of the VirginiaSaves plan on small businesses and expressed concerns about the mandatory nature of employer participation under the current draft of the legislation. The Subcommittee vote to send HB 2174 to the full committee for further consideration.

NAIFA and NAIFA-VA will remain politically active and engaged on the proposed legislation.

Although the results of a number of races remain undetermined, we are beginning to get a better picture of how yesterday’s election will reshape Congress in the coming year. Nearly 50 races decided yesterday, or in the process of being decided, will result in changes to the composition of congressional committees that have jurisdiction over issues important to NAIFA’s advocacy efforts, the interests of insurance and financial professionals, and the financial security of Main Street Americans.

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Congress knows and appreciates NAIFA! When lawmakers seek Main Street USA perspectives on insurance and financial services issues, they know they can count on NAIFA members. NAIFA’s grassroots army serves as a resource and advocates for policies that promote financial security for American families and business owners. That's the Power of Us. Listen to what members of Congress have to say.

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.

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).

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:

Insurance and financial professionals provide a powerful advocacy voice at state and federal levels.