Independent Banker - July 2017 - 7

Fine Points
By Camden R. Fine, president and CEO of ICBA
No place like home
W
e knew it wasn't going to be easy.
Despite single-party rule of the
White House and Congress, community
bank regulatory relief remains unfinished
business. Many ICBA-advocated bills have been
introduced and enjoy bipartisan support, but
community bankers will have to continue the
grassroots push for progress on Capitol Hill.
The calendar gives community bankers a
chance to provide a jolt of momentum. With the
August congressional recess almost upon us,
ICBA strongly encourages community bankers
to make their voices heard by scheduling district
Now is the time to start
scheduling and preparing for
district meetings in August.
meetings with their members of Congress.
What's true for Dorothy and Toto is true for
grassroots advocacy: There's no place like home.
Whether by attending a town hall forum, paying
a visit to a congressional district office or, preferably,
inviting members of Congress for a bank
tour and discussion, community bankers can use
the opportunities of the August recess to demonstrate
the real-world challenges posed by federal
banking regulations. With Washington facing so
many interruptions to reforming unnecessary
and excessive regulations, now is our chance to
truly bring the debate home for lawmakers.
After all, the community banking industry
is positioned as well as any group to take
advantage of this pause in the legislative session.
The House has passed House Financial
Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling's
(R-Texas) comprehensive Financial CHOICE
Act relief bill. The multipronged CLEAR Relief
Act-which takes up numerous community
bank-specific provisions from ICBA's Plan for
___________
Prosperity-has been introduced in the House
and Senate with bipartisan support. Meanwhile,
a litany of stand-alone bills taking on community
bank regulatory burdens and promoting access
to capital are pending. But as active as ICBA is in
working these issues on Capitol Hill, it is up to
the grassroots to see them through.
Of course, ICBA is here to help. To facilitate
face-to-face district meetings, ICBA offers a
variety of resources on our Be Heard grassroots
website (icba.org/beheard). In addition to sample
letters to request a meeting, the site provides
a comprehensive guide, with tips on setting up
and conducting visits, information on notifying
and following up with ICBA, and social media
tools to amplify your message.
As a longtime community banker, I know full
well that it's a job that doesn't leave a lot of time
for hosting members of Congress. But we have a
historic shot at advancing meaningful regulatory
relief and need to use every weapon in our
arsenal to finish the job. With so many priorities
facing Washington, we have to show how
excessive regulation truly affects lawmakers'
own communities and what relief means for the
constituents they represent.
Now is the time to start scheduling and preparing
for district meetings in August. Hosting
lawmakers and their legislative staff provides a
firsthand look at the complexities of community
banking regulations and perspective on the need
to reform the one-size-fits-all regulatory system.
We call on community bankers nationwide to
invite members of Congress for a look at your
bank, show them what overregulation really
means and remind them that they're not in
Washington anymore.
Follow Camden R. Fine on Twitter at
@Cam_Fine.
independentbanker.org
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Independent Banker - July 2017

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