PIA District Lobbying Day…Capitol Hill in Your Backyard
Part of PIA’s Political Involvement and Advocacy Month
PLEASE NOTE: The information below references PIA's 2009 District Lobbying Day and PIA Month. Details about the 2010 events will be coming soon.

Welcome to the District Lobbying Day home page where you'll learn everything you need to know to participate in the District Lobbying Day and Political Involvement and Advocacy Month (PIA Month), including:
What exactly is District Lobbying Day?
While national legislation may be forged in the halls of Congress, the ideas that are brought to Capitol Hill — and that resonate the most with our lawmakers — come straight from constituents on their local Main Streets. Constituents like you. That’s why it is imperative that every PIA member becomes involved in the federal political process and educates Members of Congress, so they understand and appreciate the views of professional independent agents.
That’s why on August 18 (this is a change from August 5), while Congress is on recess and our elected officials are back home in their district offices, PIA is asking each PIA member to visits to their Members of Congress. On that day we hope each U.S. Representative and Senator is overwhelmed by visits (scheduled in advance) and online communications by PIA members. Please make an effort to engage their elected officials and Congressional candidates, to promote the points of view of Professional Insurance Agents and to forge relationships with those who will serve them in Washington, DC.
District Lobbying Day will be the focal point of PIA members’ visits to their Members of Congress in their district offices. The goal is to get as many PIA members as possible to schedule appointments on or around a specific date to have a conversation with their elected officials or staff members in their offices. This is your chance to talk about a few issues that concern you as an independent agent and small businessperson. If you’re further inclined to get involved in a future reelection campaign, this is a great time to let the candidate know that you are a supporter and want to help.
What if I can't meet with my elected officials on District Lobbying Day?
We realize that some PIA members won't be able to meet with their elected officials on District Lobbying Day itself, but hope each will find a day near District Lobbying Day to make these very important visits.
If you can’t schedule a meeting this month, please send your Member of Congress a pre-written, fully-editable letter.
We also encourage PIA members to become a more politically engaged citizens. This doesn’t have to be time consuming, either! The possibilities are endless – just take a cue from some of your fellow PIA members and fly the US flag outside your home and agency, contribute to PIAPAC, or attend a local town hall meeting. The important thing is to get involved.
Participating in District Lobbying Day is Easy!
- Contact your Congressperson and Senators to schedule a visit.
- Register for the DLD after you've scheduled your visits so we know you're participating and can send you updates, personalized feedback forms & resources via email.
- Review our Issue Sheets to prepare for the meeting (Federal Regulation, Healthcare Reform, Flood Insurance, Natural Catastrophe Insurance, and Crop Insurance).
- Prepare for your visit(s) by reading our Tips for conducting successful congressional visits (Word document).
- If you've registered in advance of the DLD (see step 2 above), you'll be receiving a personalized DLD feedback form via email. If you did not receive that email or did not pre-register, you may contact Mike Becker at mikebe@pianet.org. Please print your DLD feedback form to take notes during your meeting(s).
- After your meetings, be sure to send a thank you note to each person you met with. Also, let us know how your meetings went by submitting your feedback electronically using the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form. This is an important step in completing the circle, so PIA staff can follow-up on your meetings.
Issues to Discuss
PIA is asking that you discuss 2-3 of the important issues below. For additional information, please visit the Issues of Focus section of this website.
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Federal Interference in the State-Based Insurance Regulatory System/Optional Federal Charter [
PIA Position Paper, PDF file]
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Contact Us
Have a question? Please feel free to contact your PIA National staff at any time for assistance.
Mike Becker, Director of Federal Affairs
mikebe@pianet.org
(703) 518-1365