Lizeth GeorgeRecently, celebrations of the exclusion of interchange legislation (otherwise known as the “Credit Card Competition Act of 2022”) in the Manager’s Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) flooded the media. However, the fight against interchange is far from over. At this time, we need credit unions across Alabama, Florida, and Georgia to engage Congressional offices to ensure this legislation is completely off the table for consideration. If your credit union has not already made contact through the Grassroots Action Center, we ask that you and your teams please take a moment to contact your federal elected officials to ensure they are fully aware of credit union opposition to interchange legislation. The message is preloaded and can be edited however you prefer, making it quick and easy. You can sign up for CUNA’s Member Activation Program to send similar messages to your team or membership here.
The Senate version of the NDAA is expected to be voted on in late November or early December. Because the House passed version of the NDAA differs from what will be considered in the Senate, the Manager’s Amendment, which is the amendment agreed to by the Chairs/Vice Chairs of the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction (Armed Services), was expected to take the place of a formal conference committee. This meant committee leadership intended for debate/issues to be handled behind the scenes before the Senate version was ever voted on. While 900 amendments were originally filed, only 70 were accepted, which means there are several members unhappy their amendments were left out of the Manager’s Amendment. As such, there may be an effort to send the bill to an official conference committee where additional amendments may be accepted.
Furthermore, Senator Durbin, the original sponsor of the bill, has issued a public statement that he will be working towards a vote on his amendment on the Senate floor. Because Democrats are expected to lose the House next month, if there was ever a time for Durbin to push this bill through both chambers, now would be the time. Many controversial issues are expected to come up during this lame-duck session and it is imperative we remain engaged at every step of the process.
Again, we ask that you please consider contacting your member of Congress and Senators to solidify opposition to this legislation. Hearing from you directly in the district makes the most significant impact when advocating to offices, and we appreciate your engagement in the legislative process.
