Kicking off CUNAs Governmental Affairs Conference
February 23, 2016 12:58 PM
Nearly 5,000 credit union advocates are in Washington for the Credit Union National Associations Governmental Affairs Conference this week. Keynote speakers include Lisa Bodell, Ted Koppel and a 2016 Elections Point-Counterpoint with Paul Begala and Mike Murphy. Key policymakers include CFPB Director Richard Cordray, NCUA board members Debbie Matz, J. Mark McWatters and Rick Metsger as well several U.S. senators and representatives.
The traditional parade of state flags provided a colorful kickoff to the opening general session at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference Monday morning.
The Fife and Drum Corps also helped welcome credit union advocates to CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference.
NCUA Vice Chairman Rick Metsger introduces a panel of experts set to discuss the agency's proposed rule on field of membership. Moderated by Dan McCue, SVP-corporate administration at Alaska USA FCU, the panel included Metsger's Senior Policy Adviser Michael Radway and former NCUA Chairman Dennis Dollar.
During the panel discussion, Michael Radway, senior policy advisor to NCUA Vice Chairman Rick Metsger, debunked a number of "myths" critics--largely bankers--like to bring up about the agency's proposed changes to its FOM rule. Pennsylvania credit unions may remember Radway from his previous job working for longtime CU champion former U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski.
Also during the panel discussion, CU Consultant Dennis Dollar added historical context to the field of membership discussion, hearkening back to his days on the NCUA Board when he helped author the agency's first field of membership rule in the wake of the passage of the Credit Union Membership Access Act of 1998.
Jennifer Lawless, a political science professor at American University and author of "Running from Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned off to Politics, spoke at a special event hosted by the Filene Research Institute at GAC on Monday.Lawless shared a number of insights about the love-hate relationship that both America's youth and women have with the political process--and what that could mean for the upcoming election. "Democrats need women to win; Republicans don't. So while Democrats will look to exploit that, Republicans will simply try to mitigate it," said Lawless who has, herself, run for Congress. "Women don't vote as a block and they never will."
