A new Congress always brings with it new opportunities. Issues of importance to professional independent insurance agents that have not been at the forefront in recent years have a real shot at movement now on Capitol Hill.

As soon as the opening gavel fell on the 114th Congress, it was apparent that things might be different for insurance issues, which can move very slowly or languish for years on Capitol Hill. Just days into this session, Congress acted decisively to pass a long-term renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) that included creation of the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB), two agent priorities. This followed on the heels of last year's passage of another priority, the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA).

The current makeup and tenor on Capitol Hill may be a bit more favorable to us. While there is massive gridlock on some major issues, many topics important to independent insurance agents are much less controversial by comparison. This is especially so because many of our legislative priorities are geared toward protecting and supporting small business and protecting the rights of insurance consumers, both of which are better able to bridge partisan divides.