Congress is back in Washington, D.C.

The Senate returned to Washington, D.C., this week and the House will be back next week, marking the end of August recess. There’s a shortened Congressional calendar for the remainder of the year due to the upcoming mid-terms and we’ve got important credit union priorities to move forward.

Leagues and credit unions from more than 30 states are scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., in September for annual Hill visits with policymakers.

Our priorities for these meetings are:?

• Oppose the Marshall-Durbin interchange bill, which would have devastating impacts on card issuers, consumers, and small businesses.
• Support the Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Communities Act—which has passed the House—and would modernize fields of membership and allow credit unions to work for those in need of safe and affordable financial services.
• Support the Credit Union Board Modernization Act, which passed the House Financial Services Committee and has been introduced in the Senate. This bill would update the credit union board meeting requirements.

Credit union members need us in their corner more than ever, and these priorities will help credit unions continue to meet the needs of our current and future members.

Learn more about the priorities we're fighting for

Podcast covers culture building

I encourage you to listen to CUNA Board Chairman and University FCU CEO Tony Budet’s great discussion on the CUNA News Podcast. Tony offers insight into the importance of workplace culture, and what a “highly engaged” organization looks like. I’m not the only one who thinks Tony is doing a great job; University FCU received a 2022 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for its culture and engaged workforce.

Listen here

Apply to ‘Crash the GAC’

Young credit union professionals can apply to “Crash the GAC” through Dec. 2. This awesome program—a partnership between CUNA, The Cooperative Trust, and Leagues—provides complimentary registration for at least one crasher per state to attend the 2023 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). This is one of the best ways for emerging credit union leaders to experience our movement’s premier advocacy event.

Apply here

Credit unions volunteer at BMW Championship

Shout out to volunteers from DEXSTA FCU, Eagle One FCU, and Dover FCU for their volunteer work at the 2022 BMW Championship at the Wilmington Country Club. This was the first PGA event held in Delaware, and 10 volunteers from these credit unions volunteered a total of 56 hours to sell food and beverages, with part of the proceeds going to local Boys and Girls Clubs. All volunteers are members of the Cooperative Credit Union Association’s Delaware Social Responsibility Committee.

Learn more here

CDFI Fund issues long-sought guidance

This week, the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (FDIC)?finally issued the supplemental guidance we’ve been requesting for months. While CDFI credit unions facing a certification cure status or termination need this guidance, we’re quite disappointed with the delay as it will give affected credit unions only 17 business days to interpret and implement the guidance. Continuing to lend to communities in need is an integral part of our ability to deliver financial well-being to all.

Read more here

More from 360-degree advocacy

• The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the plaintiff’s standing Thursday in in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?lawsuit. We filed a brief in favor of dismissal.?
• We joined organizations requesting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provide more information about changes to its credit card agreement collection.
• The Credit Union Legislative Action Council and Cooperative Credit Union Association supported eight credit union-friendly candidates in their primary wins Tuesday.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology is hosting an informational discussion Sept. 12th to discuss the update of its Cybersecurity Framework.