NAIFA Members Hold More Than 160 Meetings With Legislators and Staffers on Capitol Hill

Pat Raffaniello

More than 150 insurance and financial advisors from around the country concluded NAIFA's annual Political Involvement/Political Action training meeting with visits to congressional offices today.

NAIFA members held more than 160 meetings with senators, representatives and staffers. Topics of discussion included the importance of life insurance products to 75 million American families and the importance of maintaining the current tax treatment of these products when Congress considers tax-reform proposals later this year.

Pat Raffaniello, a principal in Raffaniello & Associates lobbying firm, was a guest speaker at NAIFA's morning program before the advisors went to Capitol Hill.

"We are correct on the policy when it comes to taxation and life insurance," Raffaniello said. "Now, you have to make members [of Congress] and staff understand why this is important to them and the people back home in their districts."

NAIFA Members Prepare to Take Their Message to Capitol Hill

Even though there are no current bills to change the taxation of life insurance, now is the time to start talking to Congress about the issue, Raffaniello said.

"Repetition and addition are key, because majority rules," he said. "We need to repeat our story often enough to get to 51 percent. You can't just show up in July when a bill is going to the floor and expect to get your message across."

Today's Hill visits are the first in a series of grassroots events planned for early this year. They will culminate with NAIFA's Congressional Conference on April 8-9.