NAMIC Sets 2024 Congressional Contact Program Agenda

NAMIC staff met with the Federal Affairs Committee Jan. 24-25 to share updates and strategize for 2024. The FAC consists of member company volunteers who contribute to the association’s policymaking process by guiding and recommending developments and positions on various issues at the federal level. As such, one important part of the annual planning meeting is approving a proposed set of top-tier issues for the association’s Congressional Contact Program.

FAC members approved the following slate of priority topics for NAMIC grassroots advocates to promote on Capitol Hill throughout the year. This list is not comprehensive of all the issues NAMIC’s team focuses on in Washington, as the group discussed other important updates on issues such as artificial intelligence, cannabis, data privacy, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, wildfire risk, Supreme Court cases, and increased federal regulatory oversight of insurance.

• Federal Insurance Office Climate Data Call – Through perennial support for the state-based system of insurance regulation, NAMIC members will call attention to the Federal Insurance Office’s duplicative and unprecedented climate data call infringing upon the state system. Members will ask for continued congressional oversight of FIO workstreams and support for the Insurance Data Protection Act (H.R.5535 / S.3349).
• Climate Resiliency/Disaster Mitigation – NAMIC members will promote common-sense, bipartisan solutions centered on enhanced pre-disaster mitigation investment to harden homes and infrastructure as well as streamlining recovery efforts. This will include pushing for Senate consideration of the House-passed Promoting Resilient Buildings Act (H.R.5473), which provides incentives for strengthening building codes, establishes a pilot program for residential retrofits, and increases funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
• Third-Party Litigation Funding – A growing problem for the insurance industry and a significant contributor to legal system abuse, TPLF drives up costs for insurers and consumers alike. Its prominence and negative influence increased dramatically over the last decade. National and economic security are also real concerns due to the rise of foreign entities participating in TPLF. NAMIC will launch an education effort on legal system abuse anchored by the issue of TPLF, advocating for support of the bipartisan and bicameral Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act (H.R.5488 / S.2805), to help shine a spotlight on TPLF’s harmful and costly consequences.
• Cyber Insurance – FIO, along with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office of the National Cyber Director, has been tasked with assessing the need for a federal insurance response to catastrophic cyber events. While administration officials have made clear their intention to move forward with a program, its structure and deployment are largely unknown. NAMIC will continue to educate Capitol Hill about the private cyber insurance market and urge caution as it relates to federal involvement and potential disruption. Major announcements are expected from Treasury and FIO in the spring.
• Auto Right to Repair – Two priority bills NAMIC supports, the REPAIR (H.R.906) and SMART (H.R.1707) acts, would protect the rights of consumers in the maintenance and post-collision repair market while also lessening the financial burden of auto ownership. With right to repair momentum building across the country and on Capitol Hill, the REPAIR Act would reduce barriers for consumers to fix and maintain their vehicles and secure access to critical data so owners can choose where and how to get their vehicles repaired. The SMART Act would reduce the time that automakers can enforce design patents against alternative, cosmetic parts, from 14 to 2.5 years, allowing consumers to get certain parts repaired at lower prices with more flexibility while not compromising safety. NAMIC members will continue promoting these bills asking for additional support and hearings on auto right to repair initiatives.

Beginning in April, members company representatives participating in CCP from across the country will pitch these priorities to federal lawmakers and staffs, spreading the industry’s message to hundreds of offices in the process. CCP has been a top grassroots program since the 1980s, resulting in positive, tangible outcomes each year.