Beth Byrne Email and Phone Number

Manage Voya's state government affairs group; develop government affairs policies and strategies for dealing with legislative and regulatory issues; evaluate the impact of a policy on Voya businesses if implemented; analyze issues and legislative proposals; manage Voya relationships with state insurance departments, trade associations and outside counsel; keep internal audiences informed of developments on issues of concern throughout the legislative and regulatory processes; communicate with external audiences when requested to provide information on legislative and regulatory issues of concern to Voya; principal Voya liaison in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, as well as at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the American Council of Life Insurers and the Life Insurance Council of New York; developed Voya Political Activity Policy to address issues regarding political contributions, lobbying, political outreach, gifts and entertainment and various "pay-to-play" restrictions; manage Voya PAC activities; Voya representative on Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota New York & West Virginia Guaranty Association Boards of Directors.

Represented insurers who collectively sell the vast majority of life insurance, annuities, disability income insurance and long term care insurance in New York State; special emphasis on regulatory issues and relationships with New York State Insurance Department; organized and conducted ongoing six-year effort with Department to improve policy form approvals ("speed to market") so that approval time reduced from 2 years to less than a month; organized and conducted ongoing task force with the Department to advocate market conduct examination improvements; negotiated changes in regulations governing reserves, disclosure, reporting requirements, investment limitations and actuarial matters; negotiated changes in regulations governing disaster recovery plans; principal liaison for LICONY with National Association of Insurance Commissioners and American Council of Life Insurers; conducted successful program to add large non-domestic life insurance companies to LICONY as well as additional domestic members.

Managed all legislative and regulatory initiatives impacting the life and health insurance industry in a number of states; staff the Financial Services Modernization Subgroup; addressed issues surrounding passage of Gramm-Leach-Bliley; organized and staffed internal committees and task forces charged with developing policy positions regarding privacy issues confronting the life insurance industry; represented the industry before various state government agencies, legislatures and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.