Congress takes a break in August, but advocacy does not. This month, when senators and representatives are home for a state and district work period, is a prime opportunity for credit unions to get some face time with their lawmakers on issues that impact a key segment of their constituency – their members.
Lawmakers will be in their home districts and states for five weeks: Representatives began their district work periods as early as July 30, and senators are scheduled to begin theirs prior to August 8. Both will be spending a lot of time with their constituents and meeting with businesses in the community. This is a great time for credit unions to let their lawmakers know how important it is that they cosponsor and support the passage of several important regulatory relief proposals awaiting action. A good place to start is with these:
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H.R. 2205 and S. 961, the "Data Security Act of 2015," which would bring retailers under a national standard akin to that prescribed under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for financial institutions.
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H.R. 2287 and S. 924, the "National Credit Union Administration Budget Transparency Act," which would require the NCUA to provide notice of a public hearing on its budget in the Federal Register, hold a hearing and invite comments on it.
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H.R. 2769, the "Risk-Based Capital Study Act of 2015," which would require the NCUA to study the impact of its risk-based capital proposal on credit unions and report to Congress before moving forward on a final rule.
Everything you need to engage – lawmakers' contact information to set up meetings, background on those key bills and the tools to take action – can be found on NAFCU's revamped, online Grassroots Action Center.
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You can follow through on this engagement with legislators in several ways:
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Arrange a personal visit to your credit union. Schedule a time when your representative or senator can visit your facility, meet your staff and say hello to your members. Use this meeting as an opportunity to let them know about the unique way in which you serve members – who are the lawmaker's constituents – and about some of the stories you are hearing about local economic concerns and what your credit union has done to try to address them.
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Attend a town hall meeting. Better yet, set up the town hall at a community center or school and help promote it.
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Write your members of Congress to urge them to support key legislation. This is something you can do all year long as issues develop, as desirable legislation moves or as support is needed from credit unions on a key issue.
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Are you active on social media? A lot of lawmakers are, so follow them on Twitter, "like" them on Facebook and connect with them on LinkedIn. Engage with your lawmakers by tweeting them or leaving comments on their Facebook and LinkedIn pages. It is easy and gives you the opportunity to engage from your smartphone, tablet or computer.
All of these actions add dimension to your connection with your lawmakers, giving them another chance to get to know your credit union better, connect with you better and be better tuned into your local community and their constituents.
These steps go a long way toward being an effective credit union advocate and building a strong relationship with your members of Congress and their staff members.
While you're doing all of this, keep in mind that advocacy is a two-way street. Make it a point to weigh in on issues affecting your credit union and the legislation you would like to see passed to address them; however, remember to thank your legislators for their efforts to address those issues. You can do that during a visit, a phone call, email or a well-placed editorial via news outlets serving their district.
Your advocacy work need not stop at the district level either. Following the district work period, set some time to meet with your legislators back in Washington. This is a natural extension of your hometown activities.
Both the Senate and House are scheduled to return to work the week of September 7 in Washington. This is just one week before NAFCU's Congressional Caucus in Washington and is a great opportunity for NAFCU members and nonmembers to hear from administration officials and members of Congress – and to follow up on those August contacts.
At the end of the day, advocacy is a call for action. If we want to make sure credit union issues are positively impacted, it is important for credit unions to take every opportunity to be active and help lawmakers better understand who we represent and the value we provide to their constituents in their home districts and states. The strength of credit unions depends a lot on a personal connection with members; advocacy is made stronger, and more effective, by a personal connection with lawmakers as well.
Dan O'Brien is director of political affairs for NAFCU. He can be reached at 703-842-2237 or [email protected].
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