This year, like last year, NASBP is co-hosting, along with SFAA, a federal legislative fly-in to place surety interests top of mind in congressional offices. The events associated with the Fly-in occur on Wednesday, February 26 and Thursday, February 27. The host hotel, Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill, located within sight of the U.S. Capitol and very close to the Senate office buildings, is a perfect launch pad for surety visits to congressional offices. The kick-off event is the “Washington Program” commencing with a conversation with former Congressman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who will share his experiences with and observations on politics, the economy, and the state of transportation infrastructure. NASBP expresses its sincere thanks to Amerisure Surety for sponsoring Secretary LaHood’s presentation at the Washington Program.

Following Secretary LaHood will be an insightful panel of congressional staffers to address the current congressional agenda on transportation and related issues. With the highest attendee registration in our federal legislative fly-in history, the 2025 Legislative Fly-in promises to deliver the surety industry’s message to the most congressional offices ever in one fly-in.

If you are not able to attend this fly-in, please commit to attending the fly-in next year. The Federal Legislative Fly-in is of critical importance to connect voting constituents focused on surety issues with their respective members of Congress. Nothing makes more of a lasting impression on congressional offices than that. Making that connection of what is important to a voter or voters in their districts provides additional credibility to Larry LeClair and myself when we visit congressional offices to advance surety industry positions. Over the years, such connections have fueled advancement on passing individual surety reforms at the federal level, decoupling the Miller Act from periodic threshold adjustments tied to inflation, promoting improvements to the U.S. Small Business Administration bond guarantee program, and ensuring bond protections on certain grant-funded, privatized transportation infrastructure projects.

Advocacy work never abates, and the messaging and actions for this year’s fly-in will focus on ensuring bond protections on federal grant funds flowing to water infrastructure projects and on federal grant funds flowing to broadband infrastructure projects. Taxpayers deserve the assurances provided by bonds, and public funds should not be placed at risk simply because of different governmental funding paths or privatized procurement structures.

Although we are at full capacity, information about this year’s fly-in is available at nasbp.org. Your time and presence on Capitol Hill will be well spent, paying tangible and intangible benefits to the relevance and security of your industry and your career.