NAIFA Lobbying Disclosure Shows Spending Surge as Insurance Advisors Push Tax, Retirement Agenda

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors filed its First Quarter 2026 lobbying disclosure showing $497,468 in lobbying expenditures — a notable jump from the roughly $460,000 per quarter it reported throughout 2025. The NAIFA lobbying disclosure reflects an in-house operation that has maintained a consistent five-person team while expanding its reach across Capitol Hill on issues from retirement savings to insurance regulatory reform.

Why It Matters

NAIFA's core challenge is regulatory: its members — insurance agents and independent financial advisors — operate at the intersection of multiple overlapping federal frameworks, including DOL fiduciary rules, SEC best-interest standards, and potential CFPB jurisdiction over insurance products. A legislative win would look like clearer, less burdensome rules that preserve commission-based advice models and protect state-based insurance regulation from federal encroachment. The 2026 Q1 disclosure arrives as Congress debates major tax legislation and the Trump administration reviews Biden-era financial regulations, creating both threats and opportunities for NAIFA's membership.

By the Numbers

The 2026 Q1 NAIFA lobbying disclosure reports $497,468 in in-house lobbying expenditures — up from $460,775 in the Fourth Quarter of 2025, a roughly 8 percent increase. Over the prior four quarters, NAIFA's in-house spending was remarkably stable, ranging from $459,605 to $460,775 per quarter, totaling approximately $1.84 million for the full year.

This is one of four simultaneous lobbying disclosure filings NAIFA made during the period. In addition to its in-house team, NAIFA retained three external lobbying operations:

  • LobbyDC.com LLC — $30,000 per quarter for general insurance and tax representation, consistent across all four quarters of 2025.
  • Steptoe LLP — $10,000–$20,000 per quarter, focused on financial services regulatory reform, NARAB II, broker-dealer standard of care, and DOL fiduciary rules.
  • Kehoe, Danea M. — $10,000 per quarter, focused on reconciliation legislation and tax issues.

The in-house lobbying team on the 2026 Q1 disclosure consists of five lobbyists: Jayne Fitzgerald, Andrew Holt, Mike Hedge Jr., Cody Schoonover, and Diane Boyle. The team composition has remained unchanged across all recent filings. Two of the five — Jayne Fitzgerald and Mike Hedge Jr. — have confirmed prior congressional staff experience. Fitzgerald served as an Economic Policy Adviser in the office of Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-9). Hedge served as a part-time employee in the office of Rep. David Hobson (R-OH-7). Congressional staff records for Andrew Holt, Cody Schoonover, and Diane Boyle were not confirmed in available data.

NAIFA is a longstanding lobbying presence, not a first-time entrant. Its quarterly expenditure pattern suggests a mature, institutionalized operation. The First Quarter 2026 uptick is the first meaningful departure from the prior year's consistent spending level.

The Agenda

The specific issues field in the 2026 Q1 NAIFA lobbying disclosure filing is blank — no specific issues or legislation are listed for this quarter. However, NAIFA's prior quarterly filings consistently reported lobbying across six issue areas: taxation and the Internal Revenue Code, retirement savings and IRA reform, insurance regulatory reform, health care implementation, federal regulatory process, and financial services regulation under Dodd-Frank.

Based on NAIFA's publicly documented advocacy positions and named legislative endorsements during the filing period, the organization could be lobbying on several active fronts. NAIFA's CEO Kevin M. Mayeux directly endorsed the Retirement Simplification and Clarity Act — bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Panetta (D-CA) and Rep. LaHood (R-IL) that would streamline rollover notice requirements and expand in-service rollover options into annuities for Americans 50 and older. NAIFA was also named as a supporter of the Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act (H.R. 4735 / S. 2419), which would clarify limits on CFPB authority over insurance products and preserve state-based insurance regulation.

Separately, a South Dakota member documented a meeting with a named NAIFA representative to discuss the Independent BROKERS Time Act, legislation aimed at cutting regulatory red tape for insurance brokers. An Arkansas member who met with NAIFA representatives cited support for the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, which would affect small business financial advisors and insurance agents. External lobbyist Danea Kehoe's filings consistently referenced reconciliation legislation and tax provisions — relevant given the ongoing congressional debate over Tax Cuts and Jobs Act extensions.

Broader Context

Several developments in Congress and the regulatory environment during the filing period are relevant to NAIFA's lobbying activity.

The Senate Banking Committee, under Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), advanced the Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act in July 2025, with NAIFA explicitly listed among the bill's supporters. The legislation responds to concerns that the CFPB could expand its jurisdiction into insurance regulation — a direct threat to the state-based regulatory framework NAIFA has long defended.

In March 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the reestablishment of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance, which advises Treasury on insurance regulatory matters — a development directly relevant to NAIFA's membership and policy priorities.

The broader tax debate looms large. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act contains numerous provisions that were set to expire at the end of 2025, including individual income tax rates and pass-through deductions affecting the clients of NAIFA members. Congressional reconciliation negotiations — referenced directly in Kehoe's external lobbying filings — represent a major legislative vehicle for NAIFA's tax-related priorities.

NAIFA also conducted an active congressional fly-in campaign in May 2025, generating documented meetings with members from Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Utah, South Dakota, and other states. Communications from those meetings show members discussing financial literacy, the "One Big Beautiful Bill" reconciliation package, and insurance industry employment figures. One Nebraska Republican member noted the state employs 24,000 people in the insurance sector.

A Utah member who spoke with NAIFA representatives referenced discussions about the "One Big Beautiful Bill" — the House Republican reconciliation package — as a topic of conversation, suggesting NAIFA was engaged on the broader fiscal policy debate.

Competitive Landscape

NAIFA is not alone in lobbying on these issue areas. The Business of Insurance Regulatory Reform Act drew support from a coalition that included the American Council of Life Insurers, the American Financial Services Association, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, among others — all organizations with overlapping membership and policy interests.

The Retirement Simplification and Clarity Act similarly drew support from the American Council of Life Insurers alongside NAIFA, reflecting a pattern of coalition advocacy on retirement-related legislation. Steptoe LLP, one of NAIFA's external lobbying firms, has been engaged on broker-dealer and investment adviser standard of care issues — a space where financial industry trade groups including SIFMA and the Financial Services Institute have also been active. Specific lobbying expenditure data for those organizations on these bills was not available in the source data reviewed.

The Bottom Line

The NAIFA 2026 Q1 lobbying disclosure shows a trade association that has modestly increased its spending while maintaining a stable, experienced in-house team. The blank specific issues field limits what can be confirmed about this quarter's precise agenda, but NAIFA's documented legislative endorsements, congressional meeting records, and external lobbying firm issue descriptions paint a consistent picture: the organization is focused on protecting the business model of its members — insurance agents and financial advisors — from regulatory changes at the DOL, SEC, and CFPB, while pursuing favorable treatment in the ongoing tax and reconciliation debate. The combination of in-house lobbying, multiple external firms, and an active grassroots fly-in strategy reflects an organization that treats federal policy engagement as a core institutional function.

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