PIACT/PIACT-YIP Day on the Hill

Your association took to the halls of the State Capitol in Hartford on Feb. 28, 2019, to advocate for the independent insurance producer.

PIACT National Director and past President Jonathan T. Black, LUTCF, CPIA, and past President Augusto Russell, CIC, were joined by PIACT Legislative Lobbyists Jim O’Brien, Esq., James Woulfe, Esq., and PIACT Director of Government & Industry Affairs Bradford J. Lachut, Esq.

It was a great day on the hill, which really captured the hustle and bustle of politics. Not coincidently, the Insurance and Real Estate Committee was meeting that day, meaning many of the senators and representatives we wanted to talk with had to be pulled out of a committee meeting.

The majority of our meetings, with representatives and senators from both sides of the aisle, occurred in the hallways outside of the Insurance Committee room. Black and Russell did a great job of delivering the “elevator speech” on many of our top-priority issues, including bait-and-switch, awarding continuing-education credits to active members of producer associations, and the importance of investing in workforce development in the industry. They were able to synthesize complex issues and why they were important to not only the independent producer but to consumers in easy-to-understand messages. No easy feat!

The group attended the Insurance and Real Estate Committee meeting, where PIACT Director of Government & Industry Affairs Bradford J. Lachut, Esq., was able to present testimony on two bills—H.B.7172 and H.B.7170—on behalf of PIACT.