The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) looks to build on its successes in 2006 by advocating aggressively for a number of important legislative reforms in 2007.

“We made great progress on a number of fronts in 2006,” said Big “I” chief executive Robert A. Rusbuldt. “The President signed into law pension and health care reform that will be of great benefit to insurance consumers. We made important progress in other critical areas as well. A unanimous House vote on H.R. 5637, the surplus lines bill, illustrates that the industry can come together and support a bipartisan targeted insurance regulatory reform approach. The House also passed H.R. 4973, a comprehensive flood bill with a number of Big 'I'-supported provisions. The agriculture appropriations bill included a provision prohibiting federal funding for socalled 'Premium Reduction Plans' that would have hurt farmers and agents alike.

“We also worked with key policymakers in Congress to address natural disaster coverage and to establish a more accurate depreciation schedule of intangible assets for small businesses,” Rusbuldt added. “Additionally, we worked diligently at the state level on producer compensation, agent licensing, and natural disaster coverage. Big 'I' members were called to testify before Congressional committees numerous times on the most important issues facing our members. In 2007, we hope and expect to build on those successes and achieve a number of goals at both the federal and state legislative levels.”