Advocates from WECU Pitch in for In-District Meetings With Legislators

Posted by Alyse Knudsen on September 17, 2024

Left to right: Lindsay Brown, WECU's Director of Process & Project Management; Erynne Hallock, WECU's Vice President of Retail Delivery; Joe Timmons, 42nd District Representative; and Jennifer Kutcher, WECU's President and CEO

This summer, the Advocacy Committee and other advocates from Bellingham, Wash.-based WECU continued their tradition of meeting with state and federal legislators during their in-district periods. These meetings allowed them to articulate the Credit Union Difference to lawmakers, discuss legislative issues that affect their members, and gain insight into legislators’ priorities to identify opportunities for collaboration.  

This summer’s meetings included discussions with WA 42nd District Reps. Alicia Rule and Joe Timmons, U.S. 2nd Congressional District Rep. Rick Larsen, and the office of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray.   

The discussions with Rule and Timmons covered topics such as challenges to fully funding public education, the critical need for affordable housing, and the significant impact of youth financial education. Rule and Timmons voiced strong support for WECU’s impactful role in the community, noting how WECU’s breadth of financial services plays a crucial role in supporting local development and our members’ diverse needs.  

WECU advocates thanked Rule and Timmons for co-sponsoring the recent House financial education bill and for supporting the research proviso to convert Washington State to a fully digital auto lien and titling system.  

At the federal level, advocates asked Murray’s office to continue to protect credit unions’ not-for-profit tax status, addressed concerns about interchange and junk fee regulation, and discussed the importance of modernizing credit union operations and implementing a national data privacy standard.   

The WECU advocates also took part in a collaborative event organized by GoWest and Thomas Boucher, Community Development Officer at Northcoast Credit Union, alongside other credit union advocates, to meet with Rep. Larsen, a long-time supporter of credit unions who is now serving his 12th term in Congress. They expressed their appreciation for his enduring support of credit union values, particularly for his co-sponsorship of the SAFE Banking Act, his bipartisan bill to boost financial literacy for military children, and his investment in state infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.   

In all of the discussions with legislators, WECU advocates highlighted the significant contributions credit unions make to their members and the broader community and offered ourselves as a resource on relevant issues.  

The WECU contingent was grateful to the legislators and their staff for taking time to meet with them and engage in these important discussions. The WECU Advocacy Committee also extends its appreciation to the dedicated individuals at WECU – Matt Berendsen, Lindsay Brown, Reid Frederick, Erynne Hallock, Nick Hodson, Jennifer Kutcher, and Rachel Strachan – who represented WECU and the Credit Union Difference during these in-district meetings. 

Posted in Advocacy, Advocacy on the Move, Regional Member News, Washington, Washington Advocacy.