Off the Record, On the Issues with John

Dakota credit union leaders advanced key advocacy priorities at the 2026 Governmental Affairs Conference.

ND Advocates with Senator Hoeven

By John Alexander, DakCU Director of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs

Credit union leaders from North and South Dakota delivered an outsized impact at the 2026 America’s Credit Unions Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), demonstrating once again that even a small delegation can drive meaningful national influence.

More than 6,200 advocates representing over 1,000 credit unions gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual conference, widely considered the credit union movement’s premier advocacy event. The Dakota delegation joined the national effort with more than 30 professionals attending to advance policy priorities affecting credit unions and the communities they serve.

Throughout the week, Dakota advocates were actively engaged across Capitol Hill and throughout the broader credit union policy community. During the conference’s traditional “Hike the Hill” meetings, members of the delegation met with federal offices to discuss issues ranging from housing affordability to fraud prevention and regulatory modernization.

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ND DFI Commissioner Corey Krebs, NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman, & John Alexander

The Dakotas also maintained direct engagement with regulators during the week, including discussions with North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Commissioner Corey Krebs and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman Kyle Hauptman. These conversations focused on the evolving regulatory environment and the importance of maintaining a practical, modern supervisory framework that allows credit unions to continue serving members effectively.
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National leaders took notice of the Dakotas’ efforts. During his remarks to attendees, America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Scott Simpson highlighted the Dakota delegation as an example of how smaller states continue to drive meaningful advocacy within the national credit union movement. NCUA Chairman Kyle Hauptman also referenced the Dakotas during conference discussions, specifically highlighting regulatory engagement coming out of the region.

During GAC, Chairman Hauptman publicly recognized work tied to credit union record retention requirements, an issue that Dakota advocates had previously elevated with regulators. That recognition was reinforced shortly after the conference when the NCUA formally announced a proposal to modernize record retention regulations. The effort reflects collaboration between credit unions and regulators to remove outdated compliance burdens while maintaining appropriate oversight. Credit union leaders in the Dakotas, including compliance teams who helped develop the original comment letter framework that informed the discussion, played a role in advancing the issue and ensuring the perspective of smaller and mid-sized institutions was represented in conversations with NCUA leadership.

Advocacy was not the only area where the Dakotas stood out. The region achieved one of its strongest fundraising performances to date during the conference’s national Political Action Committee efforts. North Dakota and South Dakota credit unions collectively raised record totals, surpassing previous years and demonstrating the continued growth of grassroots engagement across the region.

North Dakota also captured the Chairman’s Challenge victory, ending a three-year winning streak previously held by South Dakota and underscoring the competitive and collaborative advocacy culture that exists across both states.

For your Association team, the week reflected the broader mission of the organization: ensuring the voices of credit unions in rural communities are clearly heard in Washington.

While the Dakotas represent one of the smaller credit union leagues in the country, our presence at GAC reinforced a consistent theme echoed throughout the conference: when advocates show up prepared, unified, and committed to telling our members’ stories, even the smallest delegation can have an enormous impact.

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