For months, PIA has been supporting efforts to convince House and Senate leadership to reopen the Capitol office buildings to the public, and we are pleased that, beginning with the new 118^th Congress, Capitol Hill office buildings have reopened to the public.

Since the pandemic began two years ago, access to the Capitol complex has been limited. While it has been possible, at times, for very small groups to meet in Congressional offices, health and security concerns over the last couple of years have led to ongoing restrictions. For instance, for the past couple of years, members of the public have needed an appointment to enter the Capitol complex and their representatives’ congressional offices, and, even with an appointment, security personnel were only authorized to check visitors in at select entrances.

Additionally, visitors were required to wait outside the House or Senate building where their appointment was until the visiting group was met by a congressional staff member, who escorted each individual or group into the building and all the way to their meeting space.

Upon their departure, visitors similarly required escorts to accompany them from the meeting location to the outside of the building. In most cases, visitors were prohibited from venturing beyond the location of their pre-planned meeting within the Capitol complex without a staff escort. 

This process made visiting congressional offices extremely burdensome. Thankfully, beginning with the start of the 118^th Congress earlier this month, these restrictions have finally been lifted. 

PIA looks forward to welcoming independent insurance agents to a fully “open” Capitol Hill throughout the year, particularly during our 2023 Advocacy Day visits on May 9 and 10.