PIA National Advocacy Day
PIA lobbies Congress on important federal issues
Members of PIACT met with their respective congressional offices as part of the 2026 PIA National Advocacy Day program that offers agents the chance to meet with federal policymakers on the issues that matter most to them.
This year, meetings were held with representatives from the legislative offices of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn.; and Rep. Jim Himes, D-4.
The PIACT delegation included: Katie Bailey, CPIA, ACSR, CLCS, PIACT president and CTYIP past president; Jonathan T. Black, LUTCF, CPIA, CLTC, NAMSA, NSSA, PIACT national director and past president; and Nick Ruickoldt, CPIA, CSIR, PIACT past president and CTYIP past president; Bradford J. Lachut, Esq., PIA Northeast director of government & industry affairs; and Joe Ritchie, PIA Northeast government & industry affairs coordinator.
Reshaping third-party litigation funding rules
A focus for PIA representatives on Capitol Hill was third-party litigation financing. An issue PIA members know well from their advocacy at the state level. For several years, PIACT has worked to bring greater oversight and consumer protections to this practice in Connecticut. Now, similar concerns about transparency are receiving attention at the federal level. Proposals in Congress seek to increase disclosure and oversight of third-party litigation funding arrangements. During their meetings with congressional offices, PIACT representatives voiced support for greater transparency and appropriate guardrails around these arrangements, bringing their experience advocating on this issue at the state level to the national conversation.
Other federal priorities addressed
Other issues discussed during these legislative meetings, included long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program; crop insurance; protecting state regulation of insurance; and unfair Medicare Advantage marketing and compensation practices.
The experience
PIACT President Katie Bailey, CPIA, ACSR, CLCS, had this to say about the experience, “National Advocacy Day was a huge success this year! Our legislative representatives and their staff are always willing to give us their time, and they are truly interested in the information PIA provides about the issues that affect the insurance industry. It’s great to be a resource, and to help them navigate their positions on the issues. We had fun, and we worked hard. Events like this stress the importance of being involved with PIA at the state and federal levels, which benefits agents and the insurance industry.”
