WASHINGTON-CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference is beingrearranged a little this year to accommodate meetings with membersof Congress. Based on feedback from the state credit union leagues,CUNA Senior Vice President of Communications Mark Wolff said, CUNAhas decided to exchange its one full-day, two half-day format forGAC-which permitted attendees two afternoons to meet with theirlegislators-for two days of conference plus a full day devoted toCapitol Hill visits. What has happened in the past, he explained isthat lawmakers would not return to Washington from their districtsuntil late Tuesday because that is the earliest in the week thatvotes are typically held. Hill hikers would then wind up talkingwith staffers rather than the meeting with the lawmakersthemselves. “We're giving it a try this year and see how it goes,see how folks like it,” Wolff explained. In addition to this minorchange in format to enable more attendees to visit with theirrepresentatives, CUNA is bringing several top lawmakers andregulators to its GAC. The speaker list includes Federal ReserveBoard Chairman Alan Greenspan, Treasury Secretary John Snow SenateBanking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and RankingMember Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), House Financial Services CommitteeChairman Mike Oxley (R-Ohio) and Ranking Member Barney Frank(D-Mass.), Credit Union Regulatory Improvement Access Act (H.R.3579) authors Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), HouseFinancial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee ChairmanSpencer Bachus (R-Ala.), and all three NCUA Board members.Additionally, American Bankers Association Chairman Ken Fergesonwill go head-to-head with State Employees Credit Union CEO JimBlaine on credit union versus bank issues.