PIA National Advocacy Day
PIA lobbies Congress on important federal issues
Members of PIANJ 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 Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., R-7 and representatives from the legislative offices of Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.; Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6; Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5.
The PIANJ delegation included: Aaron Levine, CIC, PIANJ president and NJYIP past president; Lisa Hamm, CIC, PIANJ vice president; Paul Monacelli, CIC, CPIA, PIANJ outgoing national director and past president; Connie Mahoney, PIANJ incoming national director and past president; and Shanna Muscavage, PIANJ director and NJYIP vice 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, PIANJ has worked to bring greater oversight and consumer protections to this practice in New Jersey. 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, PIANJ 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
PIANJ President Aaron Levine, CIC, had this to say about the experience, “It is amazing to be a part of the greater good. Advocating for insurance affordability and availability, which affects everyone—but it’s helpful to share concrete examples with our legislative representatives at National Advocacy Day. Advocacy is a vital pillar of PIANJ’s mission, and our legislative priorities would benefit the independent insurance agent channel, and our clients, the insurance-buying public.”
