February 2024 Member News
From the Executive's Desk...
It's officially February! We are glad to see February because this year's January felt particularly long.
We anticipate showing you all we have been working on by the end of the month, as our new system is almost ready to go online. You've had a taste of it if you've seen your dues renewal and have paid it. Please let us know if your dues renewal hasn't arrived. We appreciate your membership and thank those who have already paid.
The article below provides an update on the work being done by our Legislative Committee during this session, written by our Chairman, Dave Comey. If you want to know more about this committee or want to join it, please email me at sheryl@piavadc.com.
I wanted to issue a challenge to each one of you: look over the PIA of VA & DC schedule and determine which educational program would be most beneficial to you. Would you like to begin a CIC program, CISR program? Or perhaps our CPIA program is what you should start with since you are anxious about tests. You can access more information about these designation programs by visiting our website. We recognize that you have a lot of options to get your education and know you are inundated with emails every day. Registering for PIA of VA & DC sponsored classes (listed on our website) is a great way for you to show your support for us. We are grateful for it.
Sheryl Chasse, CPIA
Association Executive
February Member Spotlight: Irabor Imobisa of Imobisa Insurance
How did you get into the insurance business?
I got into the business through family ties. I've been around the industry for a great proportion of my life. My father has been in the insurance business for 30 plus years. I would tag along with him to work on the weekends not really knowing what seed would be planted and now I am following my passion of education through the insurance sector.
How has your career benefited from being a member?
Being a member of the PIA has benefited me in many ways. One of the perks of being a part of the association is the vast amount of information and educational programs that is at your foot. The email blasts like the Weekly Education Digest keep me updated on what new webinars are available to partake in.
What would be the theme song of your life right now?
It would have to be Mind Blowing Decisions by Heatwave. Every decision micro or macro will build upon itself and either leave you filling a void or it will provide you with a bounty of fruitfulness. You must practice intention and truly take notice of all the decisions we make on a daily basis. The best way to do that is to live in the present. The future is the past, live now!
Who/what inspires you?
I inspire myself. At the end of the day you must look at yourself and take self inventory of your contribution to the world. My goal in life is to serve others with my gifts. If don't inspire myself, how can I inspire others to become greater versions of themselves? You must look inward to positively affect your sphere of influence.
What do you love the most about your job?
What I love most about my job is that it allows me to lean into my passion for education. I have always had a strong desire for enlightenment ever since I was young. So much so that I wanted to become a teacher at one point. As I grew older I understood that your passion has no boundaries and can be used in any career you choose, which then led me to utilizing it through insurance.
The type of insurance that we provide at our agency can leave clients sometimes perplexed with the amount of information and jargon that is used on a daily basis. I know that it is my obligation as an Agent to explain our product from the most straightforward approach so my clients can fully comprehend the opportunity that have working with us.
It gives me great pleasure to see the improvement in my clients in understanding the product and creating life long business relationships.
What are you reading or listening to?
At the moment I am reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and I am currently listening to a new artist named BossMan Dlow.
Rab Imobisa,
Imobisa Insurance,
Co-Chair YPC Committee PIA VA/DC
February Legislative Minute-Dave Comey
"l HATE politics!!!.... I don't pay any attention to those yahoos!"
How many of you have heard that before? How many of you feel that way? I used to, until I realized just how impactful those "yahoos" can be on your daily life. (Actually, many of these Representatives are great people, trying their best to make Virginia better and to speak for their constituents as best they can.) As active participants in the insurance industry, we know all about being regulated and subject to all sorts of laws.
But fear not, you have an ally to navigate and advocate for you. The PIA of VA & DC Legislative Committee is actively watching the myriad of bills that have been introduced in this year's Virginia Genera Assembly. As of this writing, we are two weeks into the session, and there are over 2,000 bills introduced, hoping to become a law ( "oh how I hope and pray that I will, but today I am still just a bill' - classic Schoolhouse Rock - if you know you know)
The Legislative Committee searches these bills to see which ones may impact insurance agents and agencies, and our industry. We primarily consider Property & Casualty bills but have taken up Health insurance bills that our members or fellow associations ask us to oppose or support. We discuss and debate the merits of these bills and then decide if we should take a position on them. Once decided, we lobby our individual Representatives on both the House and Senate side. This is achieved through letters, emails and phone calls to the Legislators outlining our reasoning for our position; always asking for their support or opposition when the bill comes before them for a vote.
While there are several bills that we have discussed so far this year; there are three that we have taken a position on as a Committee. They are:
H8531 and 58520 Workers Compensation; injuries caused by repetitive and sustained physical stressors. PIA Legislative Committee OPPOSES this bill. Note that this bill has been introduced in both House and Senate. ln Virginia, repetitive motion injuries (think carpal tunnel, but it could be any repetitive motion injury) are not currently compensable under the Workers Compensation Act. This bill seeks to change that. We believe that the bill would set off an avalanche of claims that would be hard to prove as to whether they were work-related. We have seen some other States pay for these types of claims (ie California) and worry that the impact would cause Virginia's Workers Compensation rates to skyrocket and threaten capacity, much like has happened in those States where these claims are compensable.
H8974 "Workers Compensation bill; presumption that certain injuries arose out of employment. Provides that any claim for workers compensation, where the employee suffers an unexplained fall in the course of employment, it shall be presumed that the fall arose out of the employment, unless such presumption is overcome by a preponderance of competent evidence to the contrary." - PIA Legislative Committee OPPOSES this bill, citing that it lends itself to
fraudulent and frivolous claims and places burden of proof on the employer to prove that the claim is not work-related. The bill is a bit vague and could have a very negative impact on the workers compensation system in Virginia.
H8990 Prohibiting employer seeking wage or salary history of prospective employees; wage or salary range transparency; cause of action; civil penalty - PIA Legislative Committee OPPOSES this bill, citing: (1)the vagueness of the bill as written, (2)would lead to false claims, (3) punitive to Employers.
These are but a small sampling of bills that are being proposed, and the outline above is just a summary of the actual bill. Our Legislative Committee will continue to monitor these three bills and others. lf you feel strongly about these bills or any others, reach out to your individual representative on both the House and Senate side, and express your opinion. THEY LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS! They want to represent you fairly....and they want to get re-elected in most cases. They keep track of the responses they get on individual bills, and if they don't hear from you, then you can't complain about how they voted.
Go to the Legislative lnformation System at:
https://lis.virginia.gov to find out the full details of the bills that have been introduced and the status of these bills. lf you are unsure as to who your current Representatives are, then go to this site and find out: https://whosmy.virginiageneraIassembly. gov
AND...lf you get an email from PIA's Legislative Committee to contact your Representative about a specific bill, PLEASE DO SO. We have asked before and it works. Flooding the General Assembly with emails can be very effective. ln the words of Jerry McGuire, "Help me, Help you!"
Dave Comey, CIC
Chairman
PIA of VA & DC Legislative Committee
Dave Comey, CIC
PIA VA/DC Legislative
Committee Chairman
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