PIA Asks DOL to Abandon or Postpone Expected Changes to Overtime Rule

Last week, PIA joined a coalition of allies in sending a letter to the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (DOL), requesting that the DOL abandon or postpone the issuance of a planned proposed rulemaking that is expected to alter the overtime regulations pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The DOL’s fall …

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RMA to PIA: Reinstatement of Inflation Adjustment Would Require SRA Renegotiation

Recently, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) responded to a March letter sent by PIA and other agent groups, including the Crop Insurance Professionals Association, urging them to reinstate the inflation adjustment for crop agents. In its response, the RMA stated that, without renegotiating the Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA), it cannot reinstate the inflation adjustment, despite …

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PIA to FTC: Independent Agencies Need Non-Competes

Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban the use of non-compete provisions and non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The NPRM invited members of the public to comment during a 60-day period, which ended on March 20. Independent agency owners are among millions of insurance-related businesses that rely …

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Act Now: Tell the FTC Not to Ban Non-Competes

In January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban the use of non-compete provisions and non-compete agreements between employers and workers. The NPRM invites members of the public to comment during a period that will end on March 20, 2023. Once the comment period ends, the FTC …

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2022 Midterm Elections, the 118th Congress, and Implications for the NFIP: A Post-Webinar Recap

Last week, Lauren Pachman, PIA’s counsel and director of regulatory affairs, participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Flood Association (NFA), on whose board she serves. She was joined on the panel by Chris Brown of Mindset, Brett Hewitt of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), Travis Johnson of 1607 Strategies, and …

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FTC Proposal Would Ban Noncompete Agreements

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would ban employers from entering into noncompete agreements with their employees. A noncompete agreement or clause is a contract or contract term, typically between an employer and an employee, that prevents the employee from working for a competitor or starting …

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118th Congress Begins Amid Leadership Uncertainty

The 118th Congress begins today, January 3rd, 2023, bringing divided leadership to Washington, D.C. The Republican party is now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is made up of 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats (and one vacancy). The U.S. Senate will continue to be led by the Democratic party, which has 48 Senate …

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Omnibus Heads to Biden’s Desk for Signature

The federal government is currently on the precipice of finalizing a sweeping, $1.7 trillion omnibus funding package, just in time to prevent a looming government shutdown, which would have begun at midnight tonight. Funding the government through the end of the current fiscal year was the final item on the 117th Congress’s agenda. The omnibus …

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PIA Agents Fly in to Advocate on Crop Insurance

A few of the participants outside the office of Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) This week, crop insurance agents from PIA affiliates from North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota came to Washington, D.C. to advocate on a variety of issues related to the federal crop insurance program.   Crop insurance provides our nation’s farmers with the …

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Flood Insurance Regulatory Update

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Independent insurance agents deeply focused on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) may already know that, on October 1, the most recently published version of the Flood Insurance Manual took effect. FEMA also recently solicited feedback on the use of Elevation Certificates and Floodproofing Certificates by communities participating in the …

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