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NAFCU has added half-a-dozen lawmakers who champion credit union issues to its lineup of speakers for its fast-approaching Congressional Caucus, Sept. 11-14 in Washington. Caucus – sponsored this year by Mastercard – is the premier credit union lobbying event of the year where attendees have a first-hand experience with NAFCU's award-winning advocacy.

Learn more about the new speaker additions below; more resources, including a rundown of top issues and the full speaker schedule, are available online.

• House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas: Hensarling has been the lead on House efforts to revise numerous Dodd-Frank Act provisions, and was instrumental in the bipartisan passage of the NAFCU-backed Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155). NAFCU has worked closely with Hensarling to obtain even more regulatory relief for the credit union industry; recently, Hensarling's leadership led to House passage in July of his bill, the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act (JOBS 3.0), which includes a two-year delay of the NCUA's risk-based capital (RBC) rule.

• House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md.: As the second-ranking member of House Democratic leadership, Hoyer is a key influencer on Capitol Hill and is known as a consensus-builder. Hoyer has experience serving on the House Appropriations Committee, which ensures funding for critical programs used by credit unions, such as the NCUA's Community Development Revolving Loan Fund and Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund.

• House Financial Services Committee Vice Ranking Member Dan Kildee, D-Mich.: Within the House Financial Services Committee, Kildee also serves on subcommittees that deal with important credit union issues related to housing finance, illicit finance and monetary policy. In July, he voted in favor of the NAFCU-supported JOBS 3.0, which awaits Senate action.

• House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif.: Royce is also a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and is a long-time champion of credit union issues. He was a chief sponsor of the NAFCU-backed Credit Union Residential Loan Parity Act (H.R. 389) in the current Congress, which was enacted into law as part of S. 2155.

• Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash.: Heck, along with Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., is responsible for crafting language to delay the NCUA's RBC rule by two years, which has now passed the House three times. NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger met with Posey and Heck to thank them for their ongoing efforts to protect the industry from the adverse effects of this rule. Heck is a member of the House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees.

• Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.: Perlmutter serves on the House Financial Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees. He is the Democratic sponsor of NAFCU-backed legislation that would require the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (previously the CFPB) to issue timely guidance on its rules in order to facilitate industry compliance and better protect consumers.

NAFCU’s Congressional Caucus is open to both members and nonmembers; registration is still open. Stay tuned to NAFCU Today for more updates on speakers leading up to the event and follow #NAFCUCaucus on Twitter for additional coverage.