Credit Unions Show Up at NCSL

Posted by Pam Leavitt on July 30, 2026

GoWest's Pam Leavitt with OR Rep. Lamar Wise, Rep. Dacia Grayber, Sen. Lisa Reynolds, and Rep. April Dobson

The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) is the nation’s largest gathering of state legislators and staff and attendees come from all 50 states.

The conference also brings together advocates including America’s Credit Unions (ACU) to discuss policy trends and emerging issues.  Your GoWest team participated in the event and helped staff the America’s Credit Union booth, where conference participants learned about credit unions around the country.  ACU also hosted a Learning Hub session on Interchange Legislation around the country and its impact on credit unions.

In addition, we engaged with Legislators and Staff attending from our 6-state region.  Major issues in 2026 included:

• Elections and voting: Discussions on primary election rules, the impact of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions (including on mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day), and an overview of this year’s election-related ballot measures.
• Federal–state policy interplay: For example, how states are weighing changes to SNAP (food assistance) amid new federal rules, including eligibility, nutrition waivers, and access vs. accountability trade-offs.
• Consumer protection and financial policy: State legislation on pricing transparency, “junk fees,” algorithmic/dynamic pricing, and a wave of financial literacy bills (at least 35 states plus Puerto Rico and D.C. had pending measures in 2026).
• Civic history context: NCSL has highlighted the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with resources like a map of states’ founding documents and constitutional histories.

One highlight of the conference was a panel on learning how to “disagree better.”

State leaders shared how and why to disagree better in the opening session of NCSL’s Legislative Summit in Chicago.

Panelists began with a lightning round of tips: “Build personal relationships,” suggested Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Or, as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt recommended, “focus on policy, not personality. That’s a great way to talk with someone that might not see the world the way you do.”

Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman said, “You have to acknowledge that you’re going to disagree and sometimes vociferously. And if you cede things to the other side, this is what Abraham Lincoln said: ‘It doesn’t do any damage to you; it facilitates agreement.’”

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton suggests trying to understand how your opponent sees things and asking yourself, “Do you want to solve the problem or just debate?”

Posted in Advocacy on the Move.