Alliance of Insurance Agents and Brokers sets sights on political involvement in 2007

The Alliance of Insurance Agents and Brokers hopes to take political action in 2007. Several speakers at the association’s first annual State of the Alliance held in Sacramento on Jan. 23 emphasized the role agents and brokers play in the political process.

Assemblyman Dave Jones, D, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said it was important for the association to interact with state lawmakers. “Develop relationships with your legislators because you never know how it will come into play in the future,” he said. “Take a moment to build a relationship because it can make a big difference in making sure they understand the nuances of your industry and what you do, so that when they are on the floor and they’re casting those votes, they have some context and they relate it to someone they know in their community.”

Similarly, Kevin Pedrotti, Alliance advocate, noted that members should reach out to state assembly and senate insurance committee members. One of the association’s grassroots goals is to establish contacts in every legislative district in the state. With a third of the legislature new to their offices, Pedrotti said now is a prime opportunity to brand the Alliance at the state capitol.

“The hardest thing is when [the legislator] doesn’t know anyone from the Alliance in their district,” he said. “They wonder ‘How can you tell me this is such an important issue when I never heard from anyone in my district?'”

Gary Jensen, Alliance president, laid out targets for the association in 2007, most notably to build political strength. Also, the association plans to grow its political action committee fund, which will be used to contribute to candidates that support ideals in line with membership. Jensen said he planned to create an association database to track the districts members and employees are located in.

Finally, David Nielson, Alliance executive director, appealed to members to support the association’s political efforts. In 2006, PAC funding helped the association to defeat agent/broker fiduciary duty regulations, he noted. “Take a little extra time during the month and send $50 to the Association’s PAC fund,” he said. “I promise we will put it to good use. We will use it very wisely.”