For instance, last year, California enacted legislation that made a myriad of changes to its credit union act, including provisions eliminating the requirement that a credit union board approve a prospective member's application and allowing member business loans to exceed a member's deposits.

And Roulhac said that Oregon and Washington are constantly updating their credit union laws.

This year, The Cooperative Credit Union Association intends to push modernization legislation in Massachusetts. That bill is likely to include technical updates, as well as changes to bring the law into line with modern technology.

As a resource for states, CUNA has developed a Model Credit Union Act, which was first developed in 1945 and has been updated 12 times since then.

While it's still too early to tell what credit union-related legislation may be introduced, the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues are working with legislators and the state treasurer's office on the federal barriers that restrict credit unions' ability to serve legal cannabis businesses, according to Courtney Jensen, vice president of state government affairs for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues.

The League of Southeastern Credit Unions and Affiliates expect busy legislative sessions in Alabama and Florida this year, Patrick LaPine, president/CEO of the league, said.

"We're excited about the prospects for this year," he said.

In Alabama, the league is urging the legislature to pass legislation that implements an 18-month exam cycle for state-chartered credit unions. League officials said that as the NCUA implements plans to extend the exam cycle for federally-chartered credit unions, the legislature should provide parity for state-chartered institutions.

They added that extending the current 12-month cycle would also save the state money.

The league is also pushing a plan to establish prize-linked savings accounts that can be offered at credit unions in the state. Several states already have enacted such legislation and the Cooperative Credit Union Association is mounting a similar effort in Delaware.

The Southeastern league is gearing up for a major fight over payday lending.

League officials said they have developed an action plan aimed at regulating payday lending and vehicle title lending. They said that recently, Alabama had more payday and title lenders per capita than any other state.

Roulhac said that payday lending often is a highly partisan issue, with more liberal legislators pushing for increased regulation. That often dooms such legislation, he said, adding that CUNA begins following that legislation in states once it "has legs."

In Florida, the Southeastern league is ready to renew the battle with banks over whether credit unions should be authorized to accept public deposits. The banking lobby has argued that since credit unions are tax exempt they shouldn't be permitted to accept such money.

"All the time, credit unions give better rates on public deposits," Roulhac said, adding, "It's something that leagues have been advocating for."

That legislative effort has failed in the past, but league officials contend that the "political landscape has shifted and the odds of passing this measure are more promising than they have been historically."

The Cooperative Credit Union League is also gearing up to fight bankers over a similar effort in Massachusetts and credit unions in New York are mounting a similar effort, Roulhac said.

Oklahoma is one of several states that are tackling data breach legislation, according to Oklahoma Credit Union League President Nate Webb. The Oklahoma legislation would give the state attorney general increased authority to seek damages from retailers that fail to report data breaches within a certain timeframe.