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House leadership named members to represent the chamber in discussions to reconcile differences in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). NAFCU's award-winning advocacy team will maintain its efforts to ensure a provision that would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to treat big banks the same as credit unions when it comes to nominal leases on military bases is not included in the final bill.

The Senate is expected to name its conferees this week as well.

"Credit unions have proven their commitment to provide military members, veterans and their families with safe, affordable financial products and services, which is why the Department of Defense offers rent to credit unions on military bases at a nominal rate," said NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger. "If this provision is included in the final 2020 NDAA, the credit union industry could be disadvantaged.

"NAFCU, in partnership with the Defense Credit Union Council, will continue to advocate against this provision in the final bill and request legislators to not give big banks, who are known for their consumer abuses, the ability to operate rent-free on military bases."

NAFCU has actively opposed this provision throughout the year, sending letters prior to committee markups to express credit unions' concerns about big banks, like Wells Fargo, potentially receiving the same nominal lease opportunities as a military installation's not-for-profit credit union. The association believes that enacting this provision would disadvantage credit unions.

While the DoD is not required to offer credit unions space on military bases at a nominal rate, they have chosen to do so because the department "recognizes the value that credit unions bring to our men and women in uniform, in good times and bad."

The NAFCU-opposed provision was included in the Senate-passed version of the bill, but the association's advocacy efforts kept it out of the House bill.

Recently, NAFCU Vice President of Legislative Affairs Brad Thaler called on credit unions to join the association's advocacy and urge their representatives and senators to oppose the provision; NAFCU's Grassroots Action Center has more information available and allows credit unions to contact their lawmakers directly.

Berger and DCUC President and CEO Anthony Hernandez last month also sent a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-R.I., and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, as work begins to reconcile differences in the fiscal year 2020 NDAA.

Last year, the association's efforts led House and Senate conferees of the FY2019 NDAA to drop the provision regarding bank leases on military installations. The association will work to ensure it is not included in the final version of the bill, just as it did last year.

House members of the conference committee include:

• Committee on Armed Services Chair Adam Smith, D-Wash.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Susan Davis, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Jim Langevin, D-R.I.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Rick Larsen, D-Wash.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.      
• Committee on Armed Services Member Joe Courtney, D-Conn.
• Committee on Armed Services Member John Garamendi, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Jackie Speier, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Donald Norcross, D-N.J.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Seth Moulton, D-Mass.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Salud Carbajal, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Anthony Brown, D-Md.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Bill Keating, D-Mass.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Filemon Vela, D-Texas
• Committee on Armed Services Member Andy Kim, D-N.J.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Kendra Horn, D-Okla.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Gil Cisneros, D-Calif.
• Committee on Armed Services Ranking Member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas
• Committee on Armed Services Member Mike Rogers, R-Ala.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Mike Conaway, R-Texas
• Committee on Armed Services Member Joe Wilson, R-S.C.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Mike Turner, R-Ohio
• Committee on Armed Services Member Doug Lamborn, R-Colo.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Rob Wittman, R-Va.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Trent Kelly, R-Miss.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Don Bacon, R-Neb.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Jim Banks, R-Ind.
• Committee on Armed Services Member Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
• Committee on Budget Chair John Yarmuch, D-Ky.
• Committee on Budget Member Scott Peters, D-Calif.
• Committee on Budget Member Bill Johnson, R-Ohio
• Committee on Education and Labor Chair Bobby Scott, D-Va.
• Committee on Education and Labor Member Lori Trahan, D-Mass.
• Committee on Education and Labor Member Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.
• Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J.
• Committee on Energy and Commerce Member Paul Tonko, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Energy and Commerce Member Fred Upton, R-Mich.
• Committee on Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
• Committee on Financial Services Member Brad Sherman, D-Calif.
• Committee on Financial Services Member Andy Barr, R-Ky.
• Committee on Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Foreign Affairs Member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Foreign Affairs Member Michael McCaul, R-Texas
• Committee on Homeland Security Member Max Rose, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Homeland Security Member Lauren Underwood, D-Ill.
• Committee on Homeland Security Member Mark Walker, R-N.C.
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Member Terri Sewell, D-Ala.
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif.
• Committee on Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Judiciary Member Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.
• Committee on Judiciary Member Doug Collins, R-Ga.
• Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.
• Committee on Natural Resources Member Deb Haaland, D-N.M.
• Committee on Natural Resources Member Rob Bishop, R-Utah
• Committee on Oversight and Reform Member Stephen Lynch, D-Mass.
• Committee on Oversight and Reform Member Gerry Connolly, D-Va.
• Committee on Oversight and Reform Member Mark Green, R-Tenn.
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology Member Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
  Member Jim Baird, R-Ind.
• Committee on Small Business Chair Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Small Business Member Jared Golden, D-Maine
• Committee on Small Business
  Member Steve Chabot, R-Ohio
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Member Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Member Chris Pappas, D-N.H.
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  John Katko, D-N.Y.
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chair Mark Takano, D-Calif.
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs Member Julia Brownley, D-Calif.
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs Member Steve Watkins, R-Kan.