The industry veteran spoke about changes in Washington due to mid-term elections and new influential legislators, including new Ways & Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and new Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Although the Republicans have historically sided with bankers, Ensweiler said credit union lobbyists have made considerable progress with the right wing since introducing CURIA. However, Ensweiler said, the industry should be glad to see gains made by Democrats in the mid-term elections, because the liberal party has historically been very supportive of the credit union movement, and should continue to be.

Of Rangel, Ensweiler said, "he seems to better understand credit unions than his predecessor," and Ensweiler called Frank "one of the smartest people in Congress."

He also discussed identity theft laws currently being proposed in four states, and said the law in Minnesota, which has already passed the state's two legislative bodies, "could be a real stepping stone for similar legislation being passed elsewhere."

Ensweiler also discussed recent rumblings that the IRS will soon issue technical advice memorandums to state-chartered credit unions, advising them that they may need to pay unrelated business income tax (UBIT). Ensweiler said leagues have joined together to fight the issue, raising $2 million for potential attorney's fees, should the organizations decide to sue the government agency.

"We intend to not settle for anything we think is unreasonable, and we will take IRS to court if the technical advice memorandums say what we think they'll say," he said.

Ensweiler also discussed advocacy, and outlined a four-point advocacy program he feels credit unions should initiate.

The first step is to form a political involvement committee made up of three to five people, blending volunteers, management and staff. The group should keep the credit union updated on all legislative affairs, including interviewing political candidates regarding their positions on credit unions. Ensweiler encouraged credit unions to share candidate information with their state leagues, to better direct them in their PAC decision making.

The second step is to designate staff members to become involved in the community, beginning at the top. Ensweiler pointed out that community bank CEO job descriptions almost always require candidates to be active in their communities, a quality many credit unions overlook.

Participating in project zip code was the speaker's third recommendation, which allows credit unions to produce a count and addresses of members who reside in specific congressional districts. The information is helpful when meeting with legislators, Ensweiler said, because it quantifies the number of voters who support the credit union.

Finally, Ensweiler urged the HR professionals to allow employees to contribute to industry PACs, which is now allowed by law.

"If we got $50 per year from every credit union employee in America, that would be huge. Not everybody can write a check for $50, but almost everybody can afford $1 per paycheck. And who controls payroll? You all do. Please, we need to raise that money," he said.

Ensweiler also encouraged the audience to set up mentoring programs between large and small credit unions, pointing out that most in attendance were from large institutions that should be helping smaller ones.

"For example, your employees could be encouraged to go in and work with a small credit union, maybe filling in during vacation times. Think of what your employees would gain by seeing how a three-to-four person shop operates. Think of all the hats they would learn to wear. I think that exchange of people could do a whole lot to build the credit union movement, and I believe it can take place in the areas you're responsible for," he said. –[email protected]