Florida Banking April 2022

one legislator told us that she was going to support us in the credit union fight because her local banker called, and, “When he calls I know it is important to him!” The same goes for your board members. Have them get to know your area legislators too. But many legislators do not know their local bankers. There is no reason for this. Even members who may not always vote with us must hear from a local banker or they will never vote for us. Remember, we are here to advocate for banking, not other issues. We have had liberal democrats and conservative republicans supporting our issues that will not agree on much else. There are several ways to get to know your legislators. When you are at a local service club, chamber of commerce, or the like and there are legislators present, please go up and introduce yourself to them. Maybe take them out for a cup of coffee to get to know them. Take time to have them come to the bank and meet your staff and board and let them know what issues are important to us. You can also explain to them the difference between a bank and a credit union. Many do not understand the difference. They simply know that banks and credit unions do kind of the same thing and therefore think there isn’t really a difference. We would be happy to send you talking points to help

you get the conversation going. We can also attend, if available, to help facilitate the meeting. You can also attend an FBA luncheon or Leadership Dinner to solidify these relationships. However, you cannot wait until Session or a Call to Action to do any of this because it will be too late. Third, please answer our Calls to Action and have your fellow bankers and board members do so as well. The number of responses can help sway a legislator if they are undecided. We have also seen success when a board member explains to a legislator why he or she is hurting or helping a bank with legislation. The board member can give them a slightly different perspective as a non-banker. Fourth, attend Capitol Day and the DC Trip. The legislator takes notice when a banker comes all the way from home to meet with him or her. They know that you have taken the time to inform them about issues that are important to our industry. However, the meeting will be even more beneficial if you have gotten to know the legislator prior to coming to Tallahassee or DC. Stopping the credit union bill is always tough, and it will only get tougher if our industry does not take these four steps. We need to take all of these steps to ensure our success on this issue and many more. We hope that you will continue to help us.

WWW.FLORIDABANKERS.COM APRIL 2022 — 13