Legislative Priorities
Cornerstone advocates on behalf of member credit unions on a wide range of legislative matters. While our legislative priorities change from year to year, based on Congress and state legislatures, certain matters remain ongoing, such as the federal credit union tax exemption.
Cornerstone maintains constant vigil for any suggestion from lawmakers that the credit union tax exemption should be up for debate. Congress established this exemption for credit unions because of their not-for-profit financial structure through the Federal Credit Union Act in 1934, but bankers have consistently lobbied against the exemption. Therefore, Cornerstone's top priority is to safeguard this primary feature of our cooperative structure.
As legislation proceeds through Congress and the state legislatures, Cornerstone monitors many matters of importance to credit unions.
Local Priorities
We look forward to the 2023 legislative sessions for each state in the Cornerstone region and engaging with lawmakers and our grassroots
advocates on our priority issues, which are listed below.
Arkansas
- Protect lienholder interests.
- Guard against predatory lending and PACE loans.
- Preserve the tax exemption for credit unions.
- Continue to improve legislative awareness and perception of CUs in Arkansas via the “Right Move, Right Now” campaign.
Kansas
- Defend against harmful regulatory burdens impacting credit unions.
Missouri
- Pursue improvements to field-of-membership laws governing credit unions.
Oklahoma
- In reaction to tow truck industry threats to lienholder interests, will continue to pursue legislation designed to put their industry on the defensive.
- Continue to protect lienholder interests in a variety of areas including the possessory lien process and insurance regulations that would require unreasonable timelines for remitted insurance proceeds to mortgage holders.
- Continue to oppose legislation to expand PACE loans to include residential property without requiring lienholders’ consent.
- Defend against state-level attempts to expand interchange caps/Durbin Amendment.
- Defend against state-level attempts to adversely impact the products and services credit unions provide to members.
Texas
- Defend and mitigate regulatory burdens on credit unions.
- Protect lienholder interests, including dealership financing issue and tow truck/VSF notifications.
- Pursue measures to favorably modify data security.
- Defend the franchise tax exemption for credit unions.
- Defend the independent regulator for credit unions.
Legislative Session Highlights
Get a recap of what took place during each state's legislative session.
Arkansas CU Campaign
Learn more about the "Right Move. Right Now" campaign for Arkansas credit unions.
Federal Priorities
- Defend the federal credit union tax exemption.
- Pursue measures to create national data security and privacy standards.
- Defend credit unions from onerous legislation/regulations that impede their ability to serve members.
- Defend against attempts to adversely impact or eliminate the products and services credit unions provide their members.
- Oppose expansion of interchange regulation/Durbin Amendment.