The WSIA PAC, formerly the NAPSLO PAC, is an increasingly important component ofWSIA's legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts. The PACprovides education to members of Congress and offers an influentialvoice on some of today's most complex insurance issues.Additionally, it provides financial support to candidates whounderstand the interests of the surplus lines industry.

The WSIA PAC is positioned to finish 2017 with one of its mostsuccessful years since its formation in 2005, according to BruceKessler, WSIA PAC committee co-chair and division president,Westchester.

“Last year was a record-setting year for contributions to thePAC, so the committee set a very ambitious contributions goal for2017,” said Kessler. “We've made great progress toward reaching itand we're thrilled with the commitment we've seen membersmake.”

The PAC contributions goal for 2017 was set at $150,000. Kesslersaid that in addition to a higher overall goal this year, the PACCommittee has worked to increase the total number of contributionsand the number of individual WSIA member firm employees who areparticipating in helping the PAC reach its objectives.

Since it was founded in 2005, 1,411 member individuals havecontributed the PAC. Those contributions have been used to supportcandidates for federal office and to educate many others. The PACcan contribute up to $5,000 annually to any one candidate.

“I think it's really important for WSIA members to understandthat the WSIA PAC can provide no more than $5,000 each year to anyone member of Congress,” said Kathy Colangelo, WSIA PAC CommitteeCo-Chair and Executive Vice President, Hull & Co. “That levelof support is not an extremely large dollar amount, but it isreally a valuable contribution for a candidate. It also makes everyindividual contribution to the PAC very impactful. Many smallcontributions come together to make a significant difference andit's very valuable in Washington to be able to demonstrate thatbroad-based support from our members.”

Meeting with Members of Congress allows WSIA to strengthenits credibility with lawmakers. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Legislative Fly-In

WSIA's annual legislative Fly-In is another important part ofthe Association's outreach and education efforts in Washington D.C.Keri Kish, WSIA director of government relations, said that the2017 Fly-In was a success both in terms of numbers of legislatorsand staff reached, and also in the effectiveness of themeetings.

The 2017 Fly-In was held May 11, and 35 WSIA members and staff,representing the Legislative Committee, Executive Committee and PACCommittee, met with 34 Members of Congress and/or their staff. Kishsaid that the members of Congress who were visited serve on eitherthe House Financial Services Committee or the Senate BankingCommittee, and a number of the Members serve on the respectivesubcommittees on insurance.

“We always provide general surplus lines education andinformation as needed during meetings, but we are increasingly ableto focus time during these visits on important issues impactingsurplus lines,” said Kish. “The first topic we emphasized againthis year was revision of the definition of private flood insuranceto ensure surplus lines insurers are eligible to provide privatemarket solutions to consumers with unique and complex flood risks.Our second area of focus was to emphasize the many successes of theNonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010 and ask forCongress' continued support and protection of the NRRA.”

Kish said the group also touched on reform of the ForeignAccount Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), asking members to eliminateunnecessary FATCA reporting for the property and casualty industry,and asked Senators for help in confirming nominees to the Board ofthe National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB)to move toward implementation.

“Our meetings were really productive, and it was great to seehow these in-person interactions can obviously continue tostrengthen WSIA's credibility with lawmakers who are influencinginsurance legislation,” Kessler said. “It was great to see that themembers of Congress and the staff that we met with had a solidunderstanding of the industry and were engaged in discussions ofour issues.”

Kessler added that one of the most important roles for the PACis to educate members of Congress about how congressional decisionsaffect both WSIA members as well as their constituents at home, andpersonal meetings help reinforce that. He said that participatingin a Fly-In meeting illustrated for him the importance of electingknowledgeable candidates, and that supporting them is a long-terminvestment in the industry.

“A robust PAC presence allows us to engage in theseconversations and really capitalize on the resources that we havein place in Washington,” Kish said. “Going into meetings withmembers of Congress and being able to demonstrate the support of alarge number of WSIA members behind or Regulatory Principles isreally powerful.” Kish noted that as the PAC continues to grow, theAssociation is increasingly viewed as an important source ofinformation on in Washington D.C.

Employees of WSIA-member firms can contribute to the PAC duringAnnual Marketplace at the PAC table in the Seaport Foyer. Colangelosaid that contributions to the NAPSLO PAC must come fromindividuals and that supporting the PAC is an individual choice.WSIA members can learn more about the PAC and its work at www.wsiapac.org.

The WSIA PAC Committee awarded special recognition totwo members based on their employees' voluntary contributions tothe PAC this year. The WSIA member firm with the most contributionsto the PAC was All Risks, and the firm with the second highesttotal contributions was AmWINS.

“As we work to inform legislators about what our members do andhow important this industry is to the overall U.S. economy, it ismore important than ever that we have a strong PAC behind ourmessage,” Colangelo added. “This industry is highly specialized,and the legislative and regulatory issues that our members face arecomplex. These meetings are imperative to our success.”