Last week I had the privilege of seeing independent agents in action at the Big “I” annual legislative conference and convention in Washington, D.C. — an event that, unlike the recent RIMS conference, was well attended in spite of pinched travel budgets and the growing swine flu threat (yes, there were a few travelers in medical masks at O'Hare Airport).

Despite the pleasant weather, cherry trees in bloom, and the perennial chaperoned groups of middle-schoolers on class field trips, this D.C. meeting is no junket. Agents who take time away from their businesses to come to this event are committed to getting their POVs known and understood by their representatives in Washington.

I was graciously invited to tag along on some of the Hill visits by the boys (mostly) from Illinois, led by IIA of Illinois President-elect Luke Praxmarer of the Corkill Insurance agency in Elk Grove Village (you couldn't miss his psychedelic tie).

Luke and his group weren't there to see the cherry blossoms. Their schedule started at 10 a.m. in the offices of Illinois Congressman Timothy Johnson, and ended well after 6 p.m. with Illinois Sen. Roland Burris (Barack Obama's replacement, who was appointed by erstwhile Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich). I went along for the last two appointments.

At the Hart Building offices of Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois contingent of more than 50 agents was so big that the staff couldn't accommodate them in a conference room, so they met with Durbin's legislative assistant in the hallway. (As a member of the press, I wasn't allowed to eavesdrop.)

Later, at Burris's offices in the venerable Russell Building, where we were told a young Sen. John Kennedy once had his digs, the dapper senator reverted to his political roots and “worked the crowd,” speaking with individual agents about their hometown alliances (I was allowed to sit in on this one).

Over and over, Luke and Illinois agents Mike Wojcik, Tom Mollenhauer and others pounded home the independent agency position on three key issues: federal regulation, agent licensing and healthcare reform. They were both skillful and diplomatic, stressing their knowledge of the subject and how it affects both independent agents and consumers.

Between meetings, and later at the Big I exhibit hall, agents told me that legislator response to these issues could be uneven; some lawmakers were adamant that a form of federal regulation was imminent, while others denied it. Most agreed that Obama's campaign promise of healthcare reform was a certain deliverable (the latest permutation would expand the federal Medicare program to include the uninsured), and NARAB II, which easily passed through the House last year, seemed to be a shoo-in.

On the whole, the Illinois agents and others at the convention said the politicians they spoke with are playing their cards pretty close to the vest — and it's understandable why. Their constituents have been burned hard by the Wall Street debacle and are leery about any proposals that might smack of supporting big business. The Illinois agents at our Capitol Hill meetings made it clear that they're not AIG asking for a bailout: they and their customers are in fact the Main Street America that legislators otherwise know as voters.

The last time I went lobbying with insurance agents was during the palmy days of the early 1990s, back before banks were even allowed to own insurers. Although a lot has changed since then, the need for an informed agency force to communicate their needs to their elected officials is more important than ever. After all, it's your democratic right — exercise it!

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