For his support of federal legislation that would ensure smallbusinesses can access loans through credit unions, Racine MayorJohn Dickert was recently honored during the Wisconsin Credit UnionLeague's annual Government Affairs Conference.

Dickert was recognized for helping to pass a resolution at theU.S. Conference of Mayors in support of federal legislation thatwould ensure small businesses can access needed loans throughcredit unions.

The Conference of Mayors is part of a bipartisan list of morethan 30 organizations supporting the measure, including groupsrepresenting small businesses, the self-employed and the insurance,textile, realty, construction, automotive and technologyindustries, according to the league.

A plaque, thanking Dickert on behalf of the 95 million consumersnationwide who own credit unions, acknowledged his help in adding abipartisan list of 187 mayors to the resolution supporting theCredit Union Small Business Jobs Bill (S.B. 2231/H.R. 1418),the league said.

“Mayor Dickert understands that credit unions can fill today'shuge void for business credit because they have billions availableto lend, a 100-year history of making business loans safely, thesupport of federal regulators and the support of 80% of Wisconsinvoters who,” said Brett Thompson, president/CEO of the Wisconsin Credit Union League.

The legislation, which was introduced in the previous 112thCongress, would have increased the ability of the financialcooperatives to extend additional credit to small businesses at nocost to taxpayers, according to the Wisconsin league.

A similar version of the bill is likely to be reintroduced aspart of the current 113th Congress.

In the first year alone, the Credit Union Small Business Jobsbill would have made available $14 billion in new credit and157,000 new jobs nationwide, the league said. In Wisconsin, itwould have provided $458 million in new credit and created almost5,000 jobs.