Credit union advocacy is not an event, marathon, nor sprint, CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan wrote in CUInsight Thursday, but rather a process designed to revolutionize the operating environment for credit unions. In his op-ed, Donovan described advocacy priorities for the remainder of 2019.

“This agenda, developed based on feedback from credit unions and influenced by the political landscape in Washington, seeks to reduce regulatory burden, expand credit union powers and opportunities, enhance information security and preserve the credit union tax status,” Donovan writes. “Fortunately, thanks to the hard work that credit unions have been putting in for a long time, coupled with the current conditions in Washington, we’re extremely close to advancing credit union priorities into law.”

This includes work on allow credit unions to serve legal cannabis businesses, modernizing the Bank Secrecy Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act relief and potential changes to the remittances rule.

Donovan also added that CUNA and league work on Federal Credit Union Act modernization, data privacy and security and housing finance reform has also brought those priorities to the forefront.

“By taking stock, and realizing just how vital strong, continued credit union advocacy has been to advance these priorities and to set our movement up for success on issue after issue, it’s easy to overcome the notion that change must come in a single Congress,” he writes.

Donovan also noted that bank attacks are still coming, the latest through attempts to grant banks the same rent-free access to military bases that credit unions are eligible for, and that CUNA continues its engagement with the Federal Communications Commission on its default call-blocking ruling.