Credit union advocates from all 50 states will be headed to Capitol Hill next week to meet with every member of Congress, CUNA wrote to all 535 Congressional offices in advance of the Governmental Affairs Conference Thursday.

CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan said in the e-mail credit unions look forward to meeting with policymakers and sharing how the credit union difference benefits their constituents.

The e-mail also includes a link to CUNA’s 2019 National Advocacy Briefing Book, which details the credit union difference, credit union priorities and the data backing up CUNA’s positions.

Those key issues are:

• Securing data and protecting consumer privacy;
• Forward-looking, tailored consumer protection;
• Bringing federal credit union governance into the 21st century
• Preserving the credit union tax status
• Catching up to consumer expectations regarding the Telephone Consumer Protection Act;
• Strengthening the housing finance system;
• Allowing cannabis banking where cannabis is legal for safer communities; and
• Improving and advancing credit unions around the world.

Donovan’s message also includes a brief breakdown of why credit unions are different, now not-for-profit financial cooperatives benefit their member-owners and the positive effect credit unions’ presence has on the overall financial services marketplace and consumers in general.