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NAFCU 2010 Congressional Caucus

September 19-22, 2010

Grand Hyatt Washington

Washington, D.C.

NAFCU non-members welcome to the credit union advocacy event of the year! 

Don't miss this chance to join other credit union leaders in the nation's capital to discuss impending legislative issues that will impact your credit union, including regulatory reform, 2010 midterm elections, interchange fees, overdraft protection, Community Reinvestment Act and more! 

Participants will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committee members and top NCUA, Treasury Department and White House officials. Register today and be sure Congress hears the credit union voice loud and clear!

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Agenda At-A-Glance

Sunday, September 19

3:00 p.m. - Delegate Registration

4:00 p.m. - Lobbying and Legislative Policy Roundtable

5:00 p.m. - Welcome Reception

Monday, September 20

7:30 a.m. - Delegate Registration

7:45 a.m. - NAFCU Delegate Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - Opening Ceremonies

9:00 a.m. - General Session Featuring Keynote Speaker 
                  Pat Buchanan

12:00 noon - Caucus Luncheon

2:00 p.m. - Capitol Hill Visits

6:00 p.m. - NAFCU Political Administrative Fund Event (corporate funds are accepted)

Tuesday, September 21

8:45 a.m. - Opening Remarks – NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker

9:00 a.m. - General Session

12:30 p.m. - Capitol Hill Visits

5:00 p.m. - Congressional Reception

Wednesday, September 22

8:45 a.m. - Opening Remarks – NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker

9:00 a.m. - General Session

11:00 a.m. - Closing Remarks

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Featured Topics

Regulatory Reform and Restructuring

The economic recession our country is experiencing has spurred Congress to address systemic risk in the banking system that contributed to the downfall of the housing market. In December of last year, the House passed legislation that would create a new consumer protection agency, and the Senate has acted on related legislation that quickly became a catch-all for proposals that have nothing to do with the root causes of the financial crisis. It’s critical that the credit union community continue to educate lawmakers about the differences between good actors like credit unions and those in the financial services industry that could benefit consumers by playing by a more rigorous set of regulatory rules. Congressional Caucus will provide you with the opportunity to inform your members of Congress about how these reforms will impact your credit union and discuss the votes they have cast on related issues.

Interchange Fees

In May, the Senate passed an amendment to regulatory reform legislation that directs the Federal Reserve to craft regulations for determining whether interchange fees related to debit cards are “reasonable and proportional.” While this amendment was changed minutes before consideration to at least prohibit merchants from discriminating against cards based on issuers, this continues to be a hot topic in the 111th Congress and of serious concern to NAFCU. When you meet with your Representative and Senators at Congressional Caucus, be sure to inform them of your strong opposition to artificial price caps on interchange fees.

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA )

In April, the House held a hearing on “Perspectives and Proposals on the Community Reinvestment Act” to examine various proposals to reauthorize the Community Reinvestment Act. Despite the fact that CRA was adopted as a punitive measure to punish specific bad actors – namely banks and thrifts – for engaging in discriminatory practices such as redlining, the Financial Services Committee continues to debate the merits of including credit unions in CRA requirements. NAFCU continues to work to prevent additional regulatory burdens on credit unions, such as unnecessary data collection or the imposition of the bank-focused CRA on credit union operations.

Member Business Lending (MBL )

In the current economic crisis, many credit unions have capital to help America’s small businesses. However, due to the outdated member business lending cap, their ability to help stimulate the economy by providing credit to small businesses is hampered.

Removing or modifying the credit union member business lending cap would help provide economic stimulus without costing the taxpayer a dime. NAFCU continues to work with Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, S. 2919, and Reps. Paul Kanjorksi (D-PA) and Ed Royce (R-CA), H.R. 3380, to push this message on Capitol Hill. With lawmakers actively looking for ways to increase small business lending without adding to the federal deficit, it’s the perfect time to educate them about this win-win policy solution.

Overdraft Fees

In October, Senator Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced the Fairness and Accountability in Receiving Overdraft Coverage Act (S.1799). At the same time, Representative Carolyn Maloney introduced similar legislation (H.R. 3904) with support of House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank. Both bills would bring overdraft protection programs under the Truth in Lending Act, require customer consent before the initiation of overdraft protection services and provide additional disclosure requirements for credit unions when a member has exceeded his or her balance. Both the House and Senate have held hearings on this issue to begin to evaluate the merit of these proposals. NAFCU has taken an active role in the congressional hearing process, and will continue to work with Congress to express our concerns with these bills and try to make significant changes to overdraft legislation should it move forward.

Bonus Breakout Session:
Learn How to Maximize Your Media Impact
Understanding how to leverage different media channels to increase membership, product sales, brand growth and public awareness is a  necessity in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace. In this valuable session, you will learn how to successfully navigate the complex world of traditional and online media, and discover how to:

• Assess your traditional and online media market;
• Partner with employees for media excellence;
• Package your expertise and prepare your pitch;
• Master interviews and posts; and
• Build on momentum!

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Keynote Speaker

Pat Buchanan

Pat Buchanan has been a senior advisor to three presidents, a two-time candidate for the Republican

presidential nomination and was the presidential nominee of the Reform Party in 2000. 

From 1966 through 1974, Buchanan was an assistant to Richard Nixon and from 1985 to 1987 was White House director of communications for Ronald Reagan. In 1992, Buchanan challenged George Bush for the Republican nomination and almost upset the president in the New Hampshire primary. In 1966, Buchanan became the first full-time staffer to Richard Nixon in his legendary comeback. He traveled with the future president in the campaigns of 1966 and 1968 and served as special assistant through the final days of Watergate. 

Upon leaving the Ford White House in 1974, Buchanan became a syndicated columnist and founding member of three of the most enduring—if not endearing—talk shows in television history: NBC’s The McLaughlin Group, CNN’s Capital Gang and Crossfire.

In his White House years, Buchanan wrote foreign policy speeches and attended four summits, including Nixon’s historic opening to China in 1972 and Ronald Reagan’s Reykjavik summit in 1986 with Mikhail Gorbachev.  Buchanan has written nine books, including five straight New York Times best sellers: A Republic, Not an Empire; The Death of the West; Where the Right Went Wrong; State of Emergency and Day of Reckoning. He is currently a columnist, political analyst for MSNBC, chairman of The American Cause foundation and an editor of The American Conservative.

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Confirmed Speakers

The Honorable Deborah Matz 
NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz served on the NCUA Board from 2002-2005, was reappointed and named chairman by President Obama in 2009. Formerly, Matz served as part of President Barack Obama’s transition team and was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Andrews Federal Credit Union of Suitland, MD. From 1993-2001, Matz served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Before that, she was an economist for the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. 

The Honorable Michael E. Fryzel 
NCUA Board Member Michael Fryzel is also a member of the Illinois and District of Columbia Bar Associations. Mr. Fryzel was Commissioner of the Illinois Court of Claims from 1989 to 2003 and has served on Illinois Governor’s Task Force on Financial Services and on the Governor’s Financial Institution Transition Team. Mr. Fryzel served on the Illinois Governor’s Board of Credit Union Advisors from 1992 until his NCUA appointment.

David H. Stevens
Mr. Stevens is the Assistant Secretary of Housing - Commissioner. As Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner, Stevens is responsible for overseeing the $600 billion FHA insurance portfolio and HUD's multifamily subsidized housing program. In addition, he oversees HUD's regulatory responsibilities in the areas of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and the manufactured housing industry. Prior to his appointment, Stevens served as the president and chief operating officer of the Long & Foster Companies, which includes Long & Foster Real Estate and its affiliated businesses, including mortgage, title, insurance and home service connections.

Acting Director Edward DeMarco, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) 
Acting Director DeMarco’s agency, FHFA, regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and 12 Federal Home Loan Banks. These GSEs provide more than $6.3 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions.

Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Rep. Garrett serves as ranking member of the House Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs).

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)
Rep. Royce is serving in his ninth term in Congress, representing Southern California's 40th district, based in Orange County. He serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Financial Services.

Rep. Chris Lee (R-NY)
Chris Lee brings to Washington two decades of experience in the private sector, where he gained a first-hand understanding of the tough decisions businesses face every day and helped create hundreds of good-paying jobs for Western New Yorkers. This is his first term representing New York's 26th Congressional District.
A day after being sworn-in, Chris was appointed by House leaders to serve on the influential House Committee on Financial Services.

James Freis, FinCEN Director
James Freis, Jr. was appointed Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on March 5, 2007 by the Secretary of the Treasury.  As a Director, he oversees FinCEN's efforts as administrator of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to establish and implement policies to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as support the law enforcement, regulatory and intelligence communities through the sharing and analysis of financial intelligence.

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Rubén Hinojosa was elected to Congress in 1996 and is currently serving his seventh term as the representative of the 15th District of Texas. In Congress, Rubén Hinojosa is regarded as a champion for the disadvantaged and has distinguished himself as a strong advocate for education, housing and economic development. He serves on two House committees: the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Financial Services.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT)

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)

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Special Event

Rooftop Cocktail Reception

Sponsored by and benefiting NAFCU’s Political Administrative Fund

House of Sweden

Monday, September 20

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Registration Fee: $150/person, $250 per couple

Corporate funds are accepted.

Enjoy spectacular views of Washington, D.C. and the Potomac waterfront from the rooftop of the House of Sweden during an evening cocktail reception.

Accommodations

The Grand Hyatt Washington

1000 H Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

NAFCU’s 2010 Congressional Caucus is at the Grand Hyatt Washington, a state of the art conference center and hotel with Metro Center access right from the lobby. The Grand Hyatt is ideally located near Capitol Hill, the White House, the Smithsonian Institution and other major landmarks and museums. It is the perfect hotel to mix business and pleasure, bring the family and explore all that Washington, DC has to offer.

NAFCU’s room block at the The Grand Hyatt is sold out. However, we have an overflow hotel for new reservations. Please contact NAFCU’s Member Service Center at 800-344-5580 to get information on the overflow hotel.

Discounted Airfare

NAFCU has partnered with American Airlines to provide our attendees a 5% discount for NAFCU Congressional Caucus. You can easily access American’s fares and apply this discount by going to www.aa.com to book your flight. Place the Authorization Number 6490AH in the promotion code box and your discount will be calculated automatically. This special discount is valid off any applicable published fares listed for American Airlines, American Eagle, and American Connection. You may also call 1-800-433-1790 to book your flights, please refer to NAFCU’s Authorization Number when you call. Please note there is a reservation service charge for all tickets issued by phone.

For Credit Union Suppliers/Vendors: Exhibiting & Sponsorship Opportunities

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Discounted Car Rental

Special discounted rates are available for all NAFCU members through AVIS and Budget rental car companies. For AVIS, please call (800) 331-1600 and specify the NAFCU code B469299. For Budget, please call (800) 772-3773 and specify the NAFCU code Y305099.

Registration Fees

Call NAFCU's Member Service Center at 800-344-5580 for more information or to register via phone today!

NAFCU reserves the right to change dates, cities, venues or speakers should circumstances warrant. NAFCU’s members will be apprised of any such changes.