By Rose Oswald Poels
As I write this week’s article, I am in Washington, D.C., for the WBA/ICBA Capital Summit with 18 Wisconsin bankers prepped for a full day of meetings with the members of our Congressional delegation. These Hill visits to meet with our elected officials are critical to the industry’s broader success on our federal legislative agenda. Hearing directly from constituents about the impact legislation has on your bank’s customers as well as your bank is both impactful and necessary to augment the messages WBA shares on behalf of our members.
The issues we are lobbying on this week mirror those we discussed last month when I was in Washington, D.C., for the WBA/ABA Washington Summit with 12 Wisconsin bankers. These issues include the ACRE Act, the “trigger lead” bill, ILC loophole, CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, and the SAFER/Safe Banking Act. I am very pleased to say that the pro-banking bills noted above include co-sponsors from the Wisconsin delegation thanks to the broader active grassroots involvement of all of you, and the in-person engagement of those bankers meeting with our elected officials. For example, after our March banker visit in Washington, D.C., with Rep. Pocan’s office, he added his name as a co-sponsor to the ACRE Act. Also after that visit, Rep. Glenn Grothman added his name as a co-sponsor on two bills. The breakdown of our Congressional delegation on the above legislation is as follows:
- ACRE Act – co-sponsored by Reps. Fitzgerald, Pocan, and Steil
- Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (“trigger lead” bill) – co-sponsored by Reps. Grothman, Pocan, Steil, and Tiffany
- CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act – co-sponsored by Reps. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Steil, and Tiffany
- SAFER/SAFE Banking Act – co-sponsored by Senator Baldwin and Reps. Moore, Pocan, and Van Orden
During both trips, we also lobbied against the Credit Card Competition Act which was co-sponsored by Rep. Tiffany.
While getting legislation passed in Washington, D.C., is a slower process than at the state level, the process begins with having a meaningful number of co-sponsors on a bill. Thanks to your ongoing advocacy efforts in conjunction with WBA, we have made many positive strides in the 118th Congressional session, and we are not done.
If you have not yet attended a Washington D.C., trip with WBA, I encourage you to consider doing so. I take bankers out in the spring for Hill visits on two trips, each in conjunction with ABA or ICBA respectively, and then again in October for a regulator-focused trip. Please email me at anytime to express your interest in joining WBA on one of these important advocacy trips. In addition to joining your colleagues in substantive meetings, we also have a little fun while we are there.
Thank you to the bankers who attended this spring’s Washington, D.C., trips!
WBA/ABA Washington Summit
- Bill Dyson, Ladysmith Federal Savings and Loan Association
- Morgan Farmer, Park Bank, Holmen
- Brad Guse, BMO Harris Bank, N.A., Marshfield
- Dave Feldhaus, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
- Nick Felder, MidWest One Bank, Lancaster
- Corey Hoze, Associated Bank, N.A., Milwaukee
- Gary Kuter, Capitol Bank, Madison
- Greg Lundberg, Fortifi Bank, Berlin
- Loni Meiborg, Fortifi Bank, Berlin
- Tom Mews, FNC Bank, New Richmond
- Mark Oldenberg, Security Financial Bank, Eau Claire
- Adam Sommer, Bank of Brodhead
- Theresa Wiese, First Business Bank, Madison
WBA/ICBA Capital Summit
- Dave Feldhaus, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
- Brooke Frehse, The Stephenson National Bank & Trust, Marinette
- Mike Gargaro, Citizens First Bank, Trempealeau
- Jeff Gruetzmacher, Royal Bank, Lancaster
- Kelly Heroux, Peshtigo National Bank
- Paul Hoffmann, Lake Ridge Bank, Middleton
- Donna Hoppenjan, Mound City Bank, Platteville
- Shay Horton, Cumberland Federal Bank, F.S.B.
- Shane Ilstrup, Citizens First Bank, Trempealeau
- Ryan Kamphuis, Bristol Morgan Bank, Oakfield
- Sue Loken, Lake Ridge Bank, Middleton
- Paul Northway, American National Bank Fox Cities, Appleton
- Greg Ogren, Security State Bank, Iron River
- Michael Olson, The Bank of Brodhead
- Dan Peterson, The Stephenson National Bank & Trust, Marinette
- Lonnie Przybylski, International Bank, Amherst
- Dan Ravenscroft, Royal Bank, Elroy
- Kevin Ravenscroft, The Peoples Community Bank, Mazomanie
- Julie Redfern, Lake Ridge Bank, Verona