Each year, PIA agents from around the country travel to Washington, D.C. to attend PIA’s annual congressional fly-in, formerly known as the Federal Legislative Summit (FLS), now known as PIA Advocacy Day.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, PIA’s 2021 Advocacy Day will be held virtually, with your Congressional meetings occurring via telephone or videoconference on May 12, 2021.

PIA Advocacy Day is our members’ opportunity to present their concerns to Members of Congress and those on their staff about issues of importance to the independent agent community. The PIA National Government Relations team is your year-round advocate before Congress, but PIA Advocacy Day gives policymakers and Congressional staff a chance to hear directly from you, their constituents, about the challenges you face.

Features of 2021 PIA Advocacy Day

The experience of our 2021 Virtual Advocacy Day will be a departure from our typical in-person Advocacy Day in many ways, but PIA’s members will continue to add to their long track record of meaningful and results-focused advocacy.

PIA is excited to have partnered with a consulting firm that will be assisting us in implementing our vision for our virtual Advocacy Day.

Our vendor will provide valuable services in preparation for and during our virtual event, including scheduling and confirming congressional meetings for PIA Advocacy Day participants. In addition, based on the preference expressed by each congressional office, the vendor will provide either a conference call line or a videoconferencing link for each meeting. They will also provide online access to a regularly updated list of confirmed meetings, along with materials, prepared by PIA staff, covering each of the topics to be addressed in the meetings.

The Congressional meetings will be organized in consultation with PIA state affiliates, and, for the most part, attendees will attend Congressional meetings as a state or affiliate group, not individually.

Key Dates:

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 1:00pm Eastern Time: PIA Virtual Advocacy Day Issue Briefing and Orientation will bring PIA members up to date on the issues of focus and prepare participants for their Congressional meetings the following week.  

Wednesday, May 12, 2021: Meetings with Congressional offices will be organized on the vendor’s web-based platform. Each Advocacy Day participant will have online access to a personalized dashboard, which will include their individualized meeting schedule. PIA will provide a tutorial on the web-based platform in advance of Advocacy Day, and an additional overview will also be included in the issue briefing to be held the week before Advocacy Day.

Make sure to mark these dates on your calendar if you plan to participate in PIA’s 2021 Virtual Advocacy Day. Additional resources will be provided to ensure PIA members are ready for their Congressional meetings on May 12, including issue papers and other materials to be distributed in the days and weeks leading up to the event.  

Registration is now open and ends March 26. If you are a PIA member and would like to register, contact your state affiliate for more information. If you have questions, please contact me at jonge@pianet.org