January 10, 2024
Dear Credit Union Leaders,
Happy New Year! We hope you had a fun and restful holiday season. Welcome to 2024, and congratulations to the University of Michigan Wolverines on their National College Football Championship, and to the Detroit Lions for roaring into the NFL playoffs! As we kick off the new year, hear are the updates you need.
Advocacy
In Lansing, the state legislature will reconvene for the second half of the biennium on Jan. 10. Introduced bills will carry over into the new session, unless they were defeated by vote and no motion to reconsider was made. As mentioned previously, the House will be tied 54-54 until mid-April when two vacancies will be filled by special election which should significantly slow down any controversial pieces of legislation during that period. That said, we will be hard at work on many of the same packages of concern from last year, including collections and garnishment, bad faith insurance, GAP waiver issues, and others. This year’s budget process will likely prove a little quieter, with much of the past few years’ excess funding having been expended at this point. Still, we will be closely watching for opportunities for credit unions, as well as advocating for continued funding for Michigan Saves, children’s savings accounts, and other key items.
In Washington, D.C., the U.S. House will begin work with an even slimmer Republican majority. U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy resigned at the end of 2023, and the chamber voted to expel now-former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY). U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) announced he will not run for re-election, and now U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) has announced the same. This will further muddy the waters around who will become the next Chair (or Ranking Member) of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee next session. U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) and Michigan’s own U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) are rumored to be among the names in contention.
Most of the energy and debate on the Hill over the next month will center on the appropriations process. Congress has passed two continuing resolutions (CRs) thus far in FY 2024 (beginning October 1, 2023). The second CR was passed and signed by the President in November, extending discretionary funding of certain programs until January 19 and funding the remaining programs until February 2, 2024. Given these approaching deadlines, Congress will need to pass additional appropriations legislation quickly, which will prove to be a very contentious process between the two parties and also within each conference. In addition to funding domestic programs, the White House and many in congressional leadership would like to pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that funds war efforts in Israel and Ukraine, but this will be complicated by insistence on border security reform from the right. There have been no major developments on the interchange issue in recent weeks, with still only four members of the U.S. Senate sponsoring or co-sponsoring the bill and only eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsoring or co-sponsoring their version. No one from our Michigan delegation has co-sponsored either bill, and many key members have voiced opposition. The energy behind the Credit Card Competition Act remains primarily concentrated in the U.S. Senate and U.S. Sens. Marshal and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and we will continue to press against this critical issue this year.
As a reminder, prior to the holiday, the federal CDFI Fund has released its new application and certification guidelines, which can be found at: CDFI Fund Releases Final Revised CDFI Certification Application | Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. The Fund also announced the opening of its funding program windows, at: CDFI Program | Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (cdfifund.gov). MCUL, CUNA, and Inclusiv are working to unpack and analyze the new provisions.
For a full update on state and federal regulatory action, please see the “Reg Corner” update in this edition of MI League Minute.
Grassroots and Advocacy Funding
The 2024 Lapel Pin Program is here!! You can find information at Lapel Pin - Michigan Credit Union League (mcul.org), and please contact DaeSean (DaeSean.Ashby@mcul.org) or Aria (Aria.Ottenbreit@mcul.org) with any questions. We are excited about this year’s new design!
As a reminder, please keep an eye out for information related to federal PAC permission agreement renewals. If you have not yet renewed, please take a moment to help us with this! Permission agreements can be signed for up to five years. Doing so does NOT obligate your credit union to participate in any programs and we will never contact your employees, members, or volunteers for fundraising without the permission of the credit union and working directly with the institution on a particular program. This is simply a compliance requirement that aids in our communications and provision of information within the industry. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kieran (Kieran.Marion@mcul.org) or Aria for these as well.
Elections
Our team will continue to monitor the developing races in the 7th and 8th U.S. House Districts. The 7th District has already largely boiled down to a General Election contest between former Democrat state Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr. and Republican former state Sen. Tom Barrett. While it is early, this November matchup will likely be one of the most expensive and hard-fought in the country. The 8th District Primary Election lineups are still forming, but on the Democrat side, state Sen. Kristen MacDonald-Rivet added her name to a list including State Board of Education President Dr. Pam Pugh and former Genesee County Democratic Party Chair Dan Moilanen. Republicans Martin Blank of Saginaw and Paul Junge of Grand Blanc both have launched campaigns for the seat. State Rep. Bill G. Schuette, who many had speculated might run, debunked that rumor and publicly announced his intention this week to seek re-election to the state House. This seat also promises to be one of the most closely watched and hotly contested races in the country in November.
As per our normal practice during election cycles, a full list of endorsed state and federal candidates will continue to be included at the bottom of this update and will be updated onto our website once our new site is unveiled early next year.
As always, thank you for all that you do for Michigan’s credit unions! Have a wonderful holiday and we will see you in 2024!!
Sincerely,
Patty Corkery and the MCUL Advocacy Team
2024 Election Endorsements
U.S. Senate
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin
MCULAF is a state-registered political action committee that makes campaign contributions to candidates for elective office in Michigan. Contributions to MCULAF are not tax deductible. Contributions to MCULAF are completely voluntary and will be used for political purposes. You have the right to refuse without any reprisal. Must be 18 years or older to participate. Must be a member or qualified employee of an affiliated Michigan credit union.
Contributions to MCULLAF are not considered charitable contributions or business expenses for income tax purposes. Contributions to MCULLAF are completely voluntary and will be used for political purposes. There shall be no reprisal for those who decide not to contribute. Must be a member of a participating MCUL-affiliated Michigan credit union and 18 years or older to participate. No corporate contributions, personal contributions only.
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