WASHINGTON–Two Capitol Hill staffers and two members of NAFCU’s legislative team offered insights into everything from the general vibe in Washington to what works best when meeting with reps on Capitol Hill to the actual likelihood of GSE reform.
Participating in the discussion during NAFCU’s Congressional Caucus were Chris Brown, senior professional staff with the House Financial Services Committee Minority Staff; Calli Shapiro, legislative director for Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL); Brad Thaler, VP-legislative affairs with NAFCU, and Carrie Hunt, SVP-general counsel with NAFCU and who also acted as emcee.
Here is a look at some of the questions asked and the responses given:
Hunt: What is the general vibe on Capitol Hill?
Brown: The (Financial Services Chairman Maxine Waters (D-CA) is focused on credit reporting and housing issues. And there are some other issues we have been working on for some time, one of which is marijuana banking. Another is beneficial ownership information and BSA reform.
Shapiro: I think the general mood in the larger context of what the House will be moving is there is an optimism that with the larger funding packages that need to be done a lot of our priorities could take a ride on those. There is optimism there is a path with the larger priorities the Speaker (Nancy Pelosi) is focused on.
Thaler: The focus this week should be on the credit union story. But marijuana banking and other issues are long-term plays. In terms of passing something legislatively, the Senate focus remains on confirming judges and indications are that is going to continue and there is not a lot of time for other issues in the Senate. The short answer is (what will pass this year will be) the appropriations bills, and longer term maybe we can build some support with your work here this week.
Hunt: Why is the time now for BSA reform to be moving forward?
Thaler: It has bipartisan support to reform the system. There is an approach that can get everyone on the same page and it’s something that can pass even in a bipartisan environment.
Hunt: As a Hill staffer, what is your advice to our members in being effective on Capitol Hill?
Shapiro: I think some of the basic stuff gets overlooked. You want to get right into the details, but what is often overlooked is staffers are probably running between a ton of meetings. Don’t lose the forest for the trees. How did you get here? Where did we come from? What’s going on now? And what do you want to do to fix it? You would be shocked how often those basics are absent. You might be meeting with a committee staffer is super-entrenched in the details of your issue, or a junior staffer who is not as entrenched in the details as you are. I care a ton about my district. How are people affected in Illinois 6th congressional district is what is going to move me and my boss.
Brown: Keeping it personal to you is what is very important, as is talking about the members you serve and the role you play in the community. What members and staff really want to hear about is the work you are doing for the broader constituency you represent. As to Calli’s point, before you go in try to do a little research on the member and figure out who your champions are. And thanking them is also tremendously helpful.
Hunt: Talking about cybersecurity, there are a lot of different ways to look at it, and we’ve long focused on data security, but we have added a new issue brief on data privacy? Why is that important?
Thaler: Data privacy is getting a lot more attention on Capitol Hill because it’s not just credit and debit card breaches, but a lot of personal information breaches. It’s the kind of information that can be used in nefarious ways to steal identities, create false profiles, create false credit profiles and there is a lot of concern around how that is being used.
Audience Member: GSE reform—is that fantasy or can it really happen?
Hunt: We have made progress. I think the laundry list of legislation has decreased, which is helpful. I think the administration and Treasury wanting to accomplish some things administratively is helpful. That being said, there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and a lot of constituents for all of these various issues. And, of course, there is the opportunity for an economic downturn and no one wants to upset the housing market. Will it happen this year? My prediction would be no.