WASHINGTON, D.C., April 26, 2017—The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) today announced that Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) will address the association’s membership on Thursday, May 4, 2017.
Sen. Gardner will be a keynote speaker at the legislative conference breakfast which occurs just prior to the association’s annual Big “I” Day on Capitol Hill. The event will also include a Democrat speaker, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia). Every year, agents and brokers visit Capitol Hill offices to educate members of the Senate, House and their staff on issues that directly impact independent insurance agents, brokers and the consumers they serve.
“We are excited to have Sen. Cory Garner (R-Colorado) address our membership, especially since our legislative conference is during Small Business Week,” says Robert A. Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO. “Coming from a small business family, the Senator knows first-hand the important role that Main Street America plays in our economy. He has been a tireless advocate for small businesses and the communities that they serve. Sen. Gardner is a rising star in the Republican Party who, at only 42 years of age, is already chair of the influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).”
Sen. Gardner was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014. He currently serves on the Senate Energy & Natural Resource Committee; the Foreign Relations Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Budget Committee. Sen. Gardner is chairman of the Energy Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy. In addition to his numerous committee leadership roles, As Chair of the NRSC, Sen. Gardner is committed to helping other Republicans get elected. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a state legislator. Prior to his career in public service, he was a legislative aide, a practicing attorney and worked in his family’s business. He grew up in the small town of Yuma, Colorado, where his family owned and operated a hardware store. Sen. Gardner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University and a law degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.
“Sen. Gardner is active on a wide range of issues that are key to small businesses in Colorado and across the country, including many Big ‘I’ members,” says Charles E. Symington, Jr., Big “I” senior vice president for external and government affairs. “As an outspoken voice for small business and fiscal responsibility, he understands the important role that our members play in the economy and the job that they do to protect their communities.”
The Big “I” Legislative Conference is the insurance industry’s best-attended, most effective legislative meeting. This year’s event will take place May 3-5 at the Renaissance Washington, D.C., Downtown Hotel.
The legislative conference is an opportunity for Big “I” members to discuss important issues with their congressional representatives. Top issues this year include the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), health care, tax reform, insurance regulatory reform, the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP) and other economic challenges facing independent insurance agents and their clients.
Journalists interested in attending, please register online, send an email to margarita.tapia@iiaba.net or call (703) 706-5473 for media registration.
Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.
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