Celebrating You! You’ve Made Advocacy Successful

Posted by Jennifer Wagner on December 15, 2023

This time of year, as we wind down with family and look ahead to 2024 – can you believe it – 2024 already– we simply must stop to reflect on your work that made this year such an impactful one in advocacy.

Your service as members of GACs and State Issues Working Groups, as key contacts, as advocacy coordinators, and as passionate advocates, resulted in big, bold ideas progressing and crossing the finish line in so many ways. It’s exciting to share some of the highlights:

• Vigorous and successful protection of credit unions’ tax structure in all six states and at the federal level;
• Continuous and targeted messaging to all state and federal legislators demonstrating how credit unions’ not-for-profit, cooperative structure delivers tangible financial benefits to their members and drives positive community impact;
• Presentation of data proving credit unions’ economic and community impact in each of our six states, utilizing a reporting tool unique to the GoWest region;
• Passage of proactive financial education bills in Idaho and Oregon;
• Updating of the Credit Union Act in Oregon;
• Inclusion of significant pro-credit union provisions in Colorado Department of Regulatory Oversight (DORA) Sunset Review Reports;
• Successful State Issues Work Group processes in AZ, ID, and WY, resulting in 2024-2025 Advocacy Agendas in each state;
• Securing $9 million in WA state for credit unions to pilot a credit building program for small businesses in historically marginalized communities;
• Expanded support for federal initiatives including board modernization, cannabis banking, and a national data security standard, and blocked advancement of harmful legislation including bills to expand interchange to credit cards.
• Reducing credit union regulatory assessment fees in OR while pursuing opportunities in other states to right-size assessment fees.

These wins don’t happen without your engagement. Collectively, GoWest member advocates joined the GoWest team in 2,600 points of engagement with state and federal elected officials, candidates for office, and state and federal regulators.

Take a moment to reflect on these accomplishments. Before you step away from your desk for some well-deserved time with loved ones, celebrate with your team how this work is helping you to serve your members. And keep thinking outside the box about all of the ways we can achieve success as a united advocacy voice in the Credit Union Movement. Your GoWest team is working to advance hyper-local, proactive legislative agendas in all six states, and of course, preparing for another effective year in the Beltway.

As we take a minute to acknowledge the success in 2023, it’s time to turn our focus on 2024. You and your team can still register for the Day at the Capitol events and the National Governmental Affairs Conference. We look forward to connecting with you in person in the coming year.

Here’s to 2024, and cheers to you!

Posted in Advocacy on the Move.