State Government Affairs Conference: 700+ contacts with lawmakers

Nearly 230 credit union Activists from across the state convened in Madison January 22-23 to take part in The League’s annual State Government Affairs Conference.

As part of the more than 700 in-person contacts with state legislators, attendees addressed topics important to Wisconsin’s credit unions including member savings, financial literacy, and community outreach. Activists also introduced the The League’s 2012-2013 Scorecard, an annual report detailing credit unions’ economic impact and commitment to social responsibility, and shared personal stories of how their credit union has positively impacted their members and communities.

Conference participants received a post-election analysis highlighting voter trends in Wisconsin’s new legislative districts on the statewide and national level from Charles Franklin, University of Wisconsin Professor and founder of Pollster.com. Additionally, John Koskinen, Chief Economist & Division Administrator for the Division of Research and Policy Analysis for the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue, provided an update on the condition of Wisconsin’s economy in 2013, including what credit unions can expect by way of unemployment and economic growth in the first part of next year.

The second day of the conference featured a "politics and policies" panel discussion facilitated by Jeff Mayers, President WisPolitics.com. The three member panel, including Eric Borgerding, SVP of Wisconsin Hospital Association Inc., Kathleen Kilgore, VP of Swanby/Kilgore Associates Inc., and Robert Bartlett, Director of Public & Community Affairs at Alliant Energy, shared their expertise on key factors to advocate to lawmakers effectively.

Legislative leadership and Department of Financial Institutions Secretary, Peter Bildsten provided updates and shared their priorities for this session. Activists also honored long-time friend of credit unions, Racine Mayor John Dickert, with a plaque for his efforts to promote credit union business lending.

More than 40 attendees participated for free by being a Payroll Deduction credit union or adding new employees to the program. Mark your calendar for the 2014 State GAC, January 28.