Earlier this week, RIMS (the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc.) held their annual “RIMS on the Hill” legislative summit in Washington DC. RIMS is a global not-for-profit organization representing more than 3,500 industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities of more than 11,000 risk management professionals.  At the RIMS 2016 Legislative Summit, members from across United States held 70 meetings with legislators and Congressional staff focused on three legislative initiatives: proposed legislation on cyber security, ADA protection and tax treatment for captives.

Thanks to the hard work of VCIA’s Washington counsel, Jim McIntyre, RIMS highlighted their support for the Captive Insurers Clarification Act, S. 1561, introduced by Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on the behalf of the captive insurance industry. As most of you know, the bill would officially omit captive insurers from the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act. The act failed to explicitly exclude captives from the definition of “nonadmitted insurers,” which leaves insureds unclear on whether independent procurement taxes on the insurance purchased from their captive must be paid to their home state in addition to the captive domicile.

Having the preeminent risk managers organization make the captive bill one of their top three priorities is, well there is no other way of saying it, “HUGE”! Because they represent the risk managers from such a variety of important organizations, Congress listens. Let’s hope Capitol Hill will do more than pay heed; but act!

Thank you all very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rich Smith,
VCIA President