Sen. Johnson is Big ‘I’ Legislator of the Year
By: Katie Butler
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) is the Gerald Solomon-Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Legislator of the Year for 2017.
Sen. Johnson made a huge impact during the tax reform debate—and his advocacy ultimately helped the bottom line of Big “I” members and their small business clients. He was the most vocal supporter of pass-through businesses during congressional consideration of tax reform, and he single-handedly garnered numerous improvements to the law that benefited Big “I” small business members.
When presenting the award at Tuesday’s Leadership Luncheon during the Big “I” Legislative Conference, Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO, said that Sen. Johnson “went above and beyond the call of duty for independent agents and small businesses” in the tax reform debate.
“Nearly two thirds of Big ‘I’ members are organized as pass-through entities, and he took care of them,” Rusbuldt said. “He was in the trenches for us.”
Sen. Johnson thanked Big “I” members for coming to Washington, D.C. and emphasized their role in educating legislators on the private sector. “The importance of the free market has been forgotten,” he said. “It’s up to the business community to make the case for it.”
Sen. Johnson is chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and also serves on the Budget, Foreign Relations, and Commerce, Science and Transportation committees.
The Big “I” presents the Legislator of the Year Award annually to a member of Congress who provides outstanding leadership on insurance issues. The name of the award honors the late Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-New York), former U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee Chairman and Big “I” member who championed independent agent and broker legislative concerns during his 20 years in Congress.
Katie Butler is IA editor in chief.
Above, left to right: Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO; Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin); and Charles Symington, Big “I” senior vice president of external, industry and government affairs.
