On Jan. 31, Rhonda Knudson, LUTCF joined nearly 150 other professional insurance agents, advisors, brokers, consultants and employee benefit specialists from across the country in Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Senate and U.S. House members and staff as part of the National APIC/IFAPAC Training Meeting & Day on the Hill.
Knudson, a local American Family Insurance Agent, is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, (NAIFA) which sponsored the event.
Knudson, joined NAIFA leaders, including IFAPAC Chairs, APIC Chairs, Association Presidents, Association Executives, Government Relations Chairs, as well as NAIFA CEO Dr. Susan Waters, NAIFA President Robert Miller and members of NAIFA’s Board of Trustees for the three-day event.
Goals for the event included raising awareness for NAIFA’s advocacy programs – IFAPAC and APIC; getting up-to-date on NAIFA’s federal legislative issues and the political landscape; and meeting with members of Congress to discuss tax reform, health care reform and the role advisors play in securing the financial success and security of Main Street Americans.
“I met with Dave Oxner from Senator Jerry Moran office and Chris Allen from Senator Pat Roberts office as well as Representative Tim Huelskamp   ,” said Knudson,  “It’s so important to make these contacts on Capitol Hill and to share with our Representatives and Senators how important the insurance and financial services that we provide to our clients are to families, our communities and our country’s economy.”
Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (R-LA), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, addressed the NAIFA members on several issues, including the federal health care law and tax reform. “You can help us educate the American public on these (healthcare issues),” Rep. Boustany told the advisors. “We’ll need your help as we craft legislation to fix them.”
Also addressing the group was Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, who spoke on the importance of insurance and financial advisors, some aspects of the Wall Street reform legislation, and tax policy. “On Wall Street, some went too far in betting against their clients’ interests,” Sen. Tester told the attendees, who serve clients in their local communities across the United States. “Main Street should not have to pay for the sins of Wall Street. Main Street did not cause the (U.S. financial) crisis.”
IFAPAC is one of the largest PACs in the insurance industry and ranks among the top tier of all 4,600 PACs registered with the Federal Election Commission. Active, informed constituents communicating directly with their members of Congress is the basis of APIC, NAIFA’s political involvement program.