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HR 2317, the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act (CURIA) of 2005 contains critical provisions to improve credit unions’ abilities to raise capital and serve small businesses and members of modest means.
Four representatives from Illinois are leading the way as co-sponsors of this important legislation: Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-2), Luis Guiterrez (D-4), Danny Davis (D-7), and Lane Evans (D-17). Credit unions located in the districts represented by these leaders are encouraged to write thank you notes to express appreciation of their support.
Immediate assistance is needed to obtain sponsors for HR 2317 (CURIA). CURIA will only be successful if there is strong bi-partisan lawmaker support and we can overcome the opposition from the banking industry. It’s critical for Illinois credit unions to write their member of Congress to ensure lawmakers understand and support CURIA.
As of the printing of this Indepth, 100 co-sponsors have been obtained. Our goal is to generate 1,000 letters by the end of the year and we need your help! The easiest way for credit union staff and board members to contact their legislators is using the League’s website (www.iculeague.coop).
On the front page of the website, click on the “League Services” and then under the “Governmental Affairs” subheading, click the link which says “Federal Grassroots Action Center” and you will automatically be taken to part of CUNA’s website which has interactive links that require only a “click” to send an e-mail. Be sure to complete the required “your contact information” and click on the send message.
This website features an easy-to-use tool which helps you compose an email to legislators. Simply type in your zip code and the name of your representative will be displayed. A list of pre-written paragraphs appears on the screen and you can choose the text to include in your email. You can also customize the note with your own remarks. The process only takes a few minutes, and the results could be extremely beneficial.
For questions regarding CURIA, please contact Don Edwards, Senior Vice Presi-dent, Federal Governmental Affairs, at the League office at 800-942-7124.
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