A Message from Sam Whitfield our New Senior Vice President, Federal Government Relations
I recently joined APCIA as our new Senior Vice President, leading our Federal Government Relations and Political Engagement (PE) teams. Since coming on board this spring, I’ve been inspired by the team’s passion, dedication, and commitment to APCIA’s mission, our members, and the broader property casualty insurance industry.
A little about me, I bring over 20 years of experience in trade association advocacy, most recently serving nine years as SVP and Head of Congressional Affairs at the Consumer Bankers Association. Prior to that, I held senior roles at the Credit Card Union National Association (CUNA) and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
I am excited for what lies ahead, but I also want to recognize the tremendous accomplishments of our colleague Kate Carey, who recently retired as APCIA’s Senior Vice President and Counsel, Federal Government Relations and Political Engagement. Kate’s leadership, intellect, integrity, and class left a lasting mark, guiding major legislative wins like tax reform and third-party litigation funding, and driving the success of both our Voice of America’s Insurers grassroots program and Insuring America PAC.
In retirement, Kate plans to spend more time with her family and volunteer with CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, advocating for children and families navigating the foster care system.
The team and I are committed to building on Kate’s legacy and continuing to deliver results for our members on the advocacy battles that lie ahead. I look forward to working with you. Please reach out to me or anyone on the PE team to learn how you can stay involved and help shape our industry’s future.
Sam Whitfield
Senior Vice President, Federal Government Relations
Three-Part Podcast Series: The Advocacy Playbook
APCIA released a three-part podcast series on the Insurance and Policy Podcast, The Advocacy Playbook, articulating how APCIA member companies can elevate their advocacy and grassroots programs. This series is hosted by Bridget Sewell, Vice President of Political Engagement & PAC, and guest co-hosted by Bethany Dame, Vice President of Political Engagement & Grassroots. Featuring industry experts and a member company leader, the series highlights proven strategies and best practices to help you maximize your impact in the political arena.
The first of our podcast series, Coach’s Corner, discusses the most effective ways to influence policymakers and candidates nationwide through political engagement. The second episode, Game Day, explains the powerful role constituent voices play in shaping legislators’ decisions, congressional research, and the importance of effective communication from constituents. Our final episode in the series, Move Valuable Player (MVP), spotlights the Political Involvement Award recipient and brings principles into action and real-world examples that you can apply to your own advocacy.
If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to other Industry and Policy Podcast episodes on the APCIA website.
Legislative Action Day 2025 Delivers Our Industry’s Message to Capitol Hill
LAD attendees meet with key lawmakers and their staff.
APCIA hosted its annual Legislative Action Day (LAD) on May 21. Nearly 140 APCIA member executives, CEOs, and government relations professionals met with 70 congressional offices on topline issues facing the industry including: Disclosure of third-party litigation funding (TPLF), the extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, reauthorization and reform of the federal flood insurance program, mitigation and resilience proposals, data privacy and cybersecurity concerns, and protecting state-based regulation of insurance.
Before heading to the Hill, attendees heard from several legislators, including Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Reps. French Hill (R-AR), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Mike Flood (R-NE), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY). Topics included Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees’ legislative priorities, third-party litigation financing, cybersecurity, data privacy, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and resiliency and mitigation proposals. Bruce Mehlman provided an overview of the U.S. political landscape and Dr. Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, provided a keynote address to conclude the day at the Planet Word Museum.
Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Insurance Subcommittee Chair Mike Flood (R-NE) address attendees during the morning program.
Events like LAD highlight the importance of member engagement to help our industry’s voice resonate with lawmakers – and APCIA members showed strong participation again this year.
In addition to holding 70 congressional meetings, attendees, along with their colleagues back home, sent nearly 300 letters sharing the issues and talking points with their members of Congress in advance of the in-person meetings.
Insuring America PAC hosted several political fundraisers in conjunction with LAD, including a reception with House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and nine House Democratic legislators, a dinner for long-time industry champion Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and a lunch for House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AR). Thanks to member company support, Insuring America PAC raised nearly $200,000 for these industry champions, showcasing the depth and breadth of APCIA’s political capacity.
House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-AR) discusses insurance issues during the Insuring America PAC hosted lunch fundraiser.
Farm Bureau Financial Services’ CEO Dan Pitcher and Jill Scott accept the President’s Award for Political Involvement.
The capstone of the day featured the presentation of the President’s Award for Political Involvement, presented to a company for their strong support of APCIA’s advocacy efforts, industry leadership in political engagement, and dedication to building long-term relationships in all political involvement efforts. This year’s winner, Farm Bureau Financial Services, was recognized for its leadership in federal and state grassroots advocacy. Under the leadership of CEO Dan Pitcher, who also serves on the Insuring America PAC Board, the organization actively participated in several grassroots campaigns — most notably in Minnesota — to support third-party litigation funding reform. They have also consistently exceeded their Insuring America PAC voluntary fundraising goal each year.
Thank you to everyone who was able to participate and help make LAD 2025 such a tremendous success!
Advocacy in Action: An Update on APCIA’s Grassroots Efforts in 2025
APCIA’s Political Engagement (PE) Grassroots Team works nationwide to tackle key challenges facing the property casualty industry, including legal system abuse that raises costs for consumers and businesses. Here are some legal system abuse reform (LSAR) campaigns we’ve won or are still fighting this year.
In April, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 68 and SB 69 into law, advancing key legal system abuse reforms. SB 68 limits phantom damages, jury anchoring, venue shopping, and more, while SB 69 boosts oversight of third-party litigation funding and blocks foreign involvement. These wins were powered by grassroots efforts from nine APCIA member companies and 32 partners, who sent over 1,000 letters to lawmakers.
In Florida, Republican legislators attempted to unravel the 2022–2023 reforms that were working to address rampant LSAR in the Sunshine State. Key measures that our grassroots advocates helped defeat included efforts to repeal accuracy in damages and attorney fees and one-way attorney fees reform. Additionally, we supported the successful veto of HB 6017 by Governor Ron DeSantis, which would have expanded the scope of damages under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act.
House Bill 113 failed to advance in Maryland, thanks in part to APCIA’s advocacy. The bill would have removed the cap on non-economic damages, leading to higher court costs for consumers and more frequent nuclear verdicts that threaten local businesses and nonprofits. APCIA helped mobilize employees and stakeholders across the state to speak out against this harmful proposal.
At the federal level, Voice of America’s Insurers led a grassroots/grasstops campaign urging Congress to include a provision in the Senate’s budget reconciliation act — proposed by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — to address and reform third-party litigation funding (TPLF). The effort generated over 2,300 letters from industry employees and prompted direct outreach from numerous company CEOs to Senate office chiefs and legislative directors. Although the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, marked a significant win for the insurance industry by preserving current property casualty insurance tax policy, Sen. Tillis’ TPLF provision was ultimately excluded. Nevertheless, the advocacy by APCIA members played a critical role in spotlighting the industry’s stance and the ongoing need for TPLF reform. APCIA plans to continue this momentum by ramping up federal grassroots efforts, imploring industry colleagues to consider lending their voices to future efforts.
APCIA’s grassroots efforts are helping to drive important legal system abuse reforms across the country. Hearing directly from influential business and industry leaders — and the employees who live and work in their districts — helps cut through the noise and delivers a more personalized, impactful message. So far, more than 38,000 advocates have sent over 89,000 letters to lawmakers, and consumers have made more than 9,900 patch-through calls to legislators. These efforts wouldn’t be possible without the strong support of our member companies and their employees. Thank you to everyone who continues to speak out, and stay tuned for more ways to get involved.
Upcoming APCIA Events
APCIA Annual Meeting – October 5-7, 2025, JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
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APCIA Advocacy Planning Conference – October 22-24, 2025, Dallas Marriott Downtown
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Emerging Leaders Conference – February 1-3, 2026, Omni Nashville Hotel
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SAVE-THE-DATE – Legislative Action Day 2026 – Wednesday, May 20, 2026, The Willard Hotel
Yes, 2025 is an Election Year
It may not be a presidential election year, but 2025 is still very much an election year. Often, participating in off-year elections can have an even bigger impact as voter participation is lower, making your vote and your voice even more powerful. If you live in New Jersey and Virginia, we urge you to check out the dates below. Voting is one of the best ways we have to participate in the political process and ensure our voices are heard by elected officials, so stay tuned, stay informed, and help us get out the property casualty vote!
2025 Election Dates
New Jersey:
Voter Registration Deadline: October 14, 2025
General Election: November 4, 2025
Virginia:
Voter Registration Deadline: October 13, 2025
General Election: November 4, 2025
Questions about Grassroots? Contact bethany.dame@apci.org
Questions about the PAC? Contact bridget.sewell@apci.org