Last week, Governor Tim Walz re-appointed Grace Arnold to serve as the Commissioner of the Commerce Department. ​Commissioner Arnold must eventually be confirmed by the Minnesota Senate and MnCUN looks forward to continuing working with her and the Commerce Department. 

Additionally, DFL Leadership in both the Minnesota House and Senate named Committee Chairs last week. MnCUN looks forward to working with Representative Zach Stephenson and Senator Matt Klein as Commerce Committee Chairs. 

​Once session starts, MnCUN Members can view the bill tracking document on the Political Publications page of mncun.org.

Earlier today, Minnesota Credit Union Network Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, Mara Humphrey, and Director of Governmental Affairs, Ryan Smith provided an overview of the 2022 Midterm Elections Results.

​They discussed the implications of the election for credit unions nationally and at the state level. A recording of the webinar is available by logging into the Member Portal.

With the final national midterm election results still to be determined, this is quick rundown of the election tallies as they stand right now.  ​​

Next Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day and there are still opportunities to vote early. You can vote in person at your county's election office and some cities and towns also offer in-person absentee voting. Additionally, if you are not yet registered to vote, Minnesota allows for same day registration on Election Day.

​Visit the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office website for the following information: 

• Voting early in person, 
  
• Polling Place Finder: Where to vote on Election Day, 
  
• To get information about what will appear on your individual ballot, and
  
• How to Register to vote on Election Day.

Check out why credit unions must get out the vote this November in this op-ed in CU Insight by Mark Cummins, MnCUN President & CEO. 
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Information about candidates and where they stand on issues of importance to credit unions is available in the 2022 Credit Union Voter Guide. If you are unsure of which elected officials represent your credit union, visit the GREAT website. For additional information, visit Credit Unions Vote.

CUNA and MnCUN Host Post-Election Webinars: log into to the Member Portal for details.

Once again in 2022, Minnesota Credit Unions have remained highly visible related to election coverage and dialogue across the state.

​The Minnesota Credit Union Network has been highly engaged in meeting with candidates for office, talking with legislative leaders in both parties and generally working to ensure that, whatever the partisan makeup of the state legislature looks like next year, credit unions will continue to enjoy strong support for our issues.

​“Our election activities did not just start this week or this month but last year,” MnCUN Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Mara Humphrey said. “The Political Involvement Committee approved a thorough election plan in December of 2021 that included candidate communication, political contributions to both individual candidates and party caucuses and a candidate survey to be distributed to all credit union staff and GREAT advocates. It's a comprehensive strategy to help ensure that credit unions are ideally placed to enact our legislative agenda at the state Capitol for the 2023-24 session.”

MnCUN staff have:

• Met with around 100 candidates for the state House and Senate,
• Hosted check presentations with leaders in the House and Senate DFL and GOP caucuses,
• Produced a voter survey to share candidates’ views on credit union issues and shared the results with all 21,000 GREAT advocates, and
• Regularly communicated credit union stories to candidates running for federal, statewide and state to heighten their awareness of our impact in the communities they’ll represent once elected.

Minnesota Credit Unions media engagement includes the following events, partnerships and activations throughout the state in the races for constitutional offices, congressional and state legislative offices.

• Exclusive sponsorship of MinnPost’s election coverage for all content related to elections.
• Debate partnership with WCCO Radio including sponsorship of the following debates:
  • Minnesota Governor
  • Minnesota Attorney General
  • Minnesota Secretary of State
  • Minnesota Auditor
  • Congressional District 2 
  • Congressional District 3 
  • Congressional District 8 

​Minnesota Credit Unions are also the exclusive sponsor of WCCO Radio’s Behind the Ballot Series and Election Night Coverage, which includes news stories in the final two weeks and election day coverage.

The 2022 Credit Union Voter Guide is a compilation of responses from candidates for statewide, Congressional, and legislative office on their stances on credit union issues 

We are continuously updating the guide as we get closer to the November election.  If you are unsure of which elected officials represent your credit union, visit the GREAT website. 

Early voting for the November General Election is now underway!

The Credit Union National Association's Governmental Affairs Conference is the largest credit union advocacy gathering of the year. When credit unions arrive en masse in Washington D.C., there is a palatable energy one cannot ignore.

​The Cooperative Trust, CUNA and MnCUN are joining forces to get at least one Crasher per state and D.C. to the 2023 CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). 

This is the premier credit union advocacy event of the year and crasher spots are limited and coveted. We're looking for the brightest talent and those who are passionate about serving others through cooperative finance. Crashing the GAC has positively impacted hundreds of emerging professionals.

Crashers receive free conference registration from CUNA. Travel, lodging, and food costs are the responsibility of the Crasher and their credit union. The MnCU Foundation’s GAC Scholarship or Professional Development Grant may be used to supplement the cost.  
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Submit your application by 11:59PM CST on Friday, December 2.

​Last week, staff and board members from credit unions across the state traveled to Washington DC to meet with members of Congress on issues pertaining to our industry as part of the MnCUN's annual Hike the Hill.

This week, as part of the Minnesota Credit Union Network’s annual Hike the Hill, credit union staff and volunteers from across the state are meeting with the Minnesota Congressional delegation to discuss issues of importance to the credit union industry. 

"Hike the Hill is a critical part of the Network’s federal legislative advocacy,” MnCUN’s Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Mara Humphrey said. “Meeting with elected officials and their staff to share the effects of policy decisions have on credit union members really helps to personalize the issues."

During Hike the Hill, two pieces of legislation of significant interest to credit unions were introduced in Congress:

• The Expanding Financial Access for Underserved Communities Act: this bill would be would be the first significant update to the Federal Credit Union Act since 1998 and would make access to financial services more equitable by ensuring that all federal credit unions can serve more communities nationwide.
• The House companion bill to Credit Union Competition Act, which would allow merchants to route payments through an unaffiliated network. CUNA issued an action alert calling on credit unions to send messages of opposition to Capitol Hill and launched a Member Activation Program (MAP) campaign encouraging credit unions to activate their members in opposition.