Congressional Tax Champion Earns CUBacking

PALATINE, Ill. - (10/22/04) -- Credit union employees will be seenwalking the neighborhood on the final days of the campaign forembattled Rep. Phil Crane, the longest-serving Republican inCongress and a staunch credit union-defender, currently in a closerace for his 19th term in the House. "The Crane race is the bigone," said Don Edwards, chief lobbyist for the Illinois CU League.Ewards noted Crane was one of a half-dozen members of thetax-writing House Ways and Means Committee to sign a letter to thePresident earlier this year endorsing the credit union taxexemption, and remembered Crane's support for the exemptionextending back for decades. "I've got a letter from him going backto 1990 supporting us on the tax issue when Bush senior wanted totax us," Edwards told The Credit Union Journal. The league hasprovided 500,000 newsletter-stuffers for eight credit unions inCrane's district explaining the senior Congressman's long-timebacking for credit unions. Crane is reported to have a narrow leadgoing into election day over Democrat Melissa Beane, who he handilybeat in 2002.