Legislative Update with Jay Kruse

​Pints & Politics tour wraps up tomorrow in Rapid City! Plus, credit union team holds their own at the SD Senate GOP Skeet Shoot with a Team Championship! 

by Jay Kruse, Chief Advocacy Officer

The election is officially less than two weeks away and candidates are making their final push before voters head to the polls. Over the last month or so, Jeff Olson and I have been packing on the miles as we have traveled across the Dakotas to host our bi-annual Pints & Politics events. As you may recall, Pints & Politics is our state-wide credit union legislative awareness program for credit union leaders, volunteer board members, and employees. These events are credit union specific – designed and presented by the Dakota Credit Union Association’s Governmental Affairs Team, bringing our advocacy and grassroots efforts directly to the chapter level.

We will be wrapping up our Pints & Politics schedule tomorrow in Rapid City, as we get together with the Rapid City area credit unions and candidates at the Pour 54 Taphouse. We are looking forward to a good turnout and connecting with many of you; it is vitally important for credit union professionals to be engaged in grassroots political involvement. Your participation is the key to our success!

Senate GOP Skeet Shoot Champions
Last week, the South Dakota Senate GOP hosted their annual Skeet Shoot at Hunters Pointe Shooting Complex in Humboldt, SD, welcoming over 100 participants and guests. While the event was hosted to benefit our state senators and legislative candidates, there were a few special guests in attendance including Senator John Thune and Congressman Dusty Johnson. It’s always great to be able to connect with both state and federal candidates and elected officials at one event!
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Our team representing the Dakota Credit Union Association and SD credit unions held their own once the gun barrels started warming up! The team made up of SD GAC Chair Joey Rotert (VP Eastern Market for Black Hills FCU), CULAC Trustee Chad Moller (Chief Growth Officer for Dakotaland FCU), and me took home the Team Championship for the 2nd Flight! We were also able to grab a photo with our friend and 2nd highest ranking Republican in the US Senate, John Thune.

Help us hit our Goal - CUPAC/CULAC Holiday Sweepstakes
We are still seeking donations to help us fund our prize offerings for our Holiday Sweepstakes! To maximize our fundraising efforts, the Government Affairs Committees (GAC) is asking for your support. We will be awarding $5,000 in raffle prizes once again this year, which are annually funded through generous credit union contributions. A HUGE thank you to all of you that have already made contribution!

We are asking credit unions to consider donating between $100 - $1,000, to help us reach our $5,000 goal. We are roughly half-way to our goal! You can easily contribute and pay with your corporate Credit Card online here: Make An Online Contribution. If you would rather be sent an invoice, just let me know.

As you know, one of the charges of our GAC is to raise donations and awareness for our CUPAC/CULAC funds. This year the Dakota CUPAC/CULAC Holiday Sweepstakes begins November 1st and runs through November 30th. Sweepstakes information including rules, FAQs, branch posters, and a QR code to participate have been emailed out to all credit unions with a signed CUPAC/CULAC permission agreement on file.

On behalf of the North and South Dakota GACs, we appreciate your consideration and support. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thank you and have a great week!
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CUPAC is the state Political Action Committee (PAC) for the Dakota Credit Union Association. Each GAC operates and manages their respective CUPAC accounts. Contributions to CUPAC are used to support credit union friendly candidates in their bid for state office. CULAC is the federal Legislative Action Council for the Credit Union National Association (Credit Union Legislative Action Council) and is the national PAC that contributes to our federal candidates.