The President's Perspective

​So many things to be thankful for this year! Plus, ND Senator Cramer calls for extension of Central Liquidity Facility, and our Washington, DC lobbyist receives top honors from NILE. 

As we kick off Thanksgiving week, there are many things that we here at the Association are thankful for. First and foremost, I want to thank you for your partnership and affiliation with the Dakota Credit Union Association, and for your continued support of our league activities and service corps partners.

I am thankful for a talented staff that is dedicated to earning your trust every single day. As an organization, we collectively work hard to be the best advocate for credit unions and their members, providing value and relevancy every day. We work passionately on our legislative, regulatory and education initiatives so that you can focus on your members. 

I am also thankful for an engaged and active board of directors, all credit union leaders who are committed to promoting the financial cooperative difference, increasing market share and industry sustainability, and providing solutions for our credit unions and their members. 

Finally, I am thankful for the opportunity to be your partner and lead the Dakota Credit Union Association at such a critical time for our industry and our individual members. Credit unions truly are the best financial choice for consumers, families and communities. We will continue to work diligently, providing value and increasing our relevancy to credit unions of all sizes. Thank you for your confidence and continued support.

It has been my tradition to share this Thanksgiving Day Poem that was first published in our credit union league’s newsletter 71 Years ago, in November 1951.

Thanksgiving
And is this then the only way,
The feasting and the fun,
Just to give thanks for one short day,
Then feel all is done?
 
The Pilgrims feasted long ago,
The bitter with the sweet;
Theirs’ was a thanks we cannot know,
We walk the road their courage blazed,
We reap what they have sown;
Yet can we praise as they have praised
For Freedom, Faith and home?
 
Then thank the Giver all the way,
For sun and shadow too;
You’ll find that Thanksgiving Day
Will last the whole year through.
~Author Unknown
 
ND Senator Cramer calls for extension of Central Liquidity Facility
Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in coordination with CUNA, the Dakota Credit Union Association, and the California Credit Union League, have called for a one-year extension of NCUA Central Liquidity Facility flexibility to be included in the FY23 Senate National Defense Authorization Act. The 2020 CARES Act made enhancements to CLF borrowing authority and membership requirements to help aid credit unions facing liquidity shortfalls due to the pandemic. The enhancements are scheduled to expire at the end of 2022. The Senators called for language in the House-passed NDAA extending the increased borrowing authority and the membership and borrowing requirements to be included in the Senate version.
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CUNA’s Jason Stverak is Top Lobbyist for 2022
I am very excited to share that the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics (NILE) has recognized CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Federal Government Affairs, Jason Stverak, as one of the top lobbyists of 2022. Jason is from Rapid City, SD, and prior to joining CUNA, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND).

His work on behalf of credit unions and their 130 million members has resulted in multiple victories this year, including the signing into law of the Credit Union Governance Modernization Act, House passage and Senate introduction of the most significant field of membership modernization since 1998, as well as helping to stop the “IRS snooping” proposal. NILE is the professional association for those in the lobbying and grassroots profession, and it curates an annual list of top 100 professionals across the nation who helped lead significant legislative success in 2022.  

The value of Association membership.
Moving forward, the Compliance Update articles provided by Chief Compliance Officer Amy Kleinschmit will be for “members only.” A technical difficulty has prevented us from restricting access over the past months; however, the issue has been resolved and now once again, these articles will be only for affiliated DakCU members. Your DakCU login and password are required. If you have any difficulties accessing the Compliance Updates, please contact Amy for assistance.

Get your Holiday Sweepstakes tickets for a chance to win!
Don’t forget – the CUPAC/CULAC Holiday Sweepstakes is underway with a chance to win $5,000 in prizes! Each credit union with a signed permission agreement should have your promotional resources available and displayed so staff and members can participate. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE. Contact Jay Kruse if you have any questions, and on behalf of the North and South Dakota GACs, we appreciate your support.

Dakota credit unions receive national recognition.
Finally, I would like to close today on a very positive note with a “shout out” to four Dakota credit unions that are receiving recognition on the national level with the CUNA Awards. These awards are very competitive and being selected at this level is an honor indeed. First, East River FCU (Madison, SD) received first place in the Dora Maxwell social responsibility category. We also had a second-place winner with Railway Credit Union (Mandan, ND) in the same category. In addition, we had two honorable mentions in the Louise Herring philosophy in action category for Postal Family FCU (Fargo, ND) and Town & Country CU (Minot, ND).
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Dakota Credit Unions are putting their core mission to test every day, doing amazing things to improve the financial lives of their members. A hearty congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to all our winners for embracing and demonstrating the credit union difference.
 
Wishing you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! 

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DakCU President/CEO