What a week it was. While nearly 3,000 community bankers and financial experts gathered last week for ICBA’s national convention, our industry successfully pushed bipartisan regulatory relief through the Senate. With the
2018 ICBA Capital Summit just weeks away, I’ve never been more impressed by the strength of community banks!
As I said at the convention in Las Vegas, community bankers have earned our stellar reputations through our unique relationships and service to our communities. And that cherished reputation is being recognized in Washington. The landmark Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) passed the Senate with a bipartisan 67-31 vote, which is almost unthinkable at this time of political polarization.
But nothing is guaranteed in Washington. The political realities in our nation’s capital continue to pose a threat to meaningful regulatory relief. That means we need to rely on another one of the community banking industry’s cornerstones to finish the job—hard work.
Only through diligent, unrelenting advocacy can we clear the final hurdles and send meaningful regulatory relief through the House to the president, who has pledged his support. Fortunately, we have another outstanding opportunity to be heard on this important legislation with next month’s
2018 ICBA Capital Summit.
Scheduled for April 8-11 in the nation’s capital, the ICBA Capital Summit allows community bankers to meet face-to-face with their members of Congress and staff to press top industry priorities. And the ICBA Capital Summit programming is an attraction in itself. This year’s event will feature remarks from Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Acting Director Mick Mulvaney, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting, Senate Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Chairman Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.), and pollster and political analyst Kristen Soltis Anderson. Additionally, Conference of State Bank Supervisors President and CEO John Ryan will address ICBA’s Federal Delegate Board.
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ICBA Chairman Tim Zimmerman last week encouraged community bankers to mentor the next generation of community bankers on getting involved in grassroots advocacy. There’s no better way than coming to Washington and being heard in the halls of Congress.
It ain’t over until it’s over. With the push for meaningful regulatory relief headed to the House, now is the time for community bankers to come to the nation’s capital and meet with lawmakers. Community bankers enjoy a pristine reputation in Washington and across the nation, but to finally achieve meaningful relief to support local economic growth, we’re going to have to keep working for it.
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