Occupy protests and Bank Transfer Day activity across the Westhave all but faded but credit union leaders continue to seepositive fallout on behalf of enabling public fundslegislation.

The latest came this week from Portland, Ore., Mayor Sam Adams who writing in a NorthwestCredit Union Association bulletin said the city needs to diversify its investment mix “to buy local,” which meansreducing some of its bank ties and switching to community banks andCUs.

He said he favored a newly introduced “Responsible BankingResolution” being adopted in California and across the Northwestwhich favors community bank/CU deposits and is a direct outgrowthof the Occupy movement.

“The Responsible Banking Resolution is one of the reasons I wasattracted to and supported Occupy Wall Street,” Adams said in aninterview with editors of Anthem, the email newsletter of theNWCUA.

The regional trade group has been active in pushing billsthrough both the Washington and Oregon legislatures allowinggreater CU access to municipal funds .A bill in the Washingtonstate Senate awaits action allowing federal CUs to accept $250,000in public funds. Similar measures are progressing through theOregon body.

At the local level, city councils in both Seattle and Portland as well as Berkeley, Calif., and LosAngeles have been reviewing proposed statutes which would movefunds out of such megabanks as Wells Fargo and Bank of America andinto credit unions.