Legislative & Regulatory Update with Taylor

Advocacy starts with showing up. Learn how credit union professionals can make an impact by sharing their stories, building relationships, and taking simple steps to strengthen grassroots advocacy.

By Taylor Stricklin, DakCU Director of Political & Grassroots Affairs

Advocacy Starts with Showing Up
Over the past several weeks, I’ve written a lot about what advocacy looks like from my side of the table, traveling to Washington, meeting with lawmakers, attending fundraisers and preparing for the 2027 legislative session.

This week, I had the opportunity to turn that conversation around and talk about what advocacy can look like for you.

Pints and Politics
I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Credit Unions United Chapter meeting for Pints and Politics, where we spent time talking about advocacy, why it matters to credit unions and, most importantly, how everyone in our movement can play a role.

One of the main messages I shared was simple: you don't have to be a lobbyist to be an advocate. In fact, some of the most effective advocates we have are the people working inside our credit unions every day.

You understand the challenges your members are facing. You know what it means when a regulation creates an unnecessary hurdle. You see firsthand how fraud affects a member. You know what happens when a small business needs financing or when a family walks through the door looking for help. Those experiences make policy real.

Finding Your Level of Engagement
Advocacy also doesn't have to mean traveling to Bismarck to testify before a legislative committee. It can start much smaller.

Get to know who represents your community. Attend a legislative or community event. Introduce yourself when you see a policymaker. Respond to an action alert. Invite a legislator into your credit union. Share a story about how an issue is affecting your members. And when you're comfortable doing that, take the next step.

One of the ideas we discussed during Pints and Politics was simply moving up one rung in your advocacy involvement. If you've never contacted a legislator, send an email. If you've sent an email, introduce yourself in person. If you've attended an event, invite a policymaker to visit your credit union.

We don't need everyone to become a government affairs expert. We need more people willing to participate.

Your Stories Make the Difference
This is something we also heard repeatedly during America’s Credit Unions’ Congressional Caucus earlier this month.

Facts and data are important, but lawmakers also need to hear what an issue actually means for the people and businesses they represent. That's where our credit unions have an advantage.

When I sit down with a policymaker and explain an issue, that's advocacy. But when a credit union leader or employee can say, “Here's what this is doing to our members in your community,” it adds another level to that conversation. That's why grassroots advocacy is so important to the work we do at your Association.

Meanwhile, Work Continues in Bismarck
While we're talking about getting more people involved, there is plenty happening at the Capitol as well.
North Dakota's interim committee work continues as lawmakers examine issues that could eventually find their way into the 2027 legislative session. This week alone includes meetings of the Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee, Budget Section, and the Legislative Task Force on Government Efficiency.

Property tax relief continues to receive significant attention, and lawmakers are working through a number of other policy and budget issues as the interim progresses.

Not every interim discussion will turn into legislation, and not every proposal will directly affect credit unions. But this is exactly why we monitor these conversations now rather than waiting until January. At the same time, we continue working on our own North Dakota priorities and preparing for the upcoming session.

Move Up One Rung
If there is one message I hope people took away from Pints and Politics, it is this: You don't have to do everything. Just do something.

Advocacy is strongest when it isn't limited to lobbyists, CEOs or government affairs professionals. It works when people throughout the credit union movement are willing to tell their stories, build relationships and show policymakers what the credit union difference looks like in their communities.

As we get closer to the 2027 legislative session, I'm going to continue asking our credit union community to become more involved. So wherever you are today in your advocacy involvement, consider moving up one rung. Attend the event. Make the introduction. Invite the legislator. Share the story. Those small actions, multiplied across the credit union movement, can make a big difference when it matters most. 

Stay Connected
If your credit union is experiencing an issue at the state or federal level, please reach out to me. The perspectives and experiences of our credit unions help inform our advocacy efforts and strengthen our conversations with policymakers.