New York Credit Union Association leaders will be in Albany and fully engaged with lawmakers today as the 2020 state legislative session kicks off and Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State speech.

Association President/CEO William J. Mellin, VP of Government Affairs Kendra Rubin and SVP/General Counsel Henry Meier will attend the governor’s address.

For the second year in a row, Democrats retain control of the state government after flipping the Senate in the 2018 elections. New York’s Senate Democrats have previously expressed strong interest and support for credit unions and have signaled a desire to help credit unions reach more underserved New Yorkers.

The Association’s No. 1 priority for the 2020 session will be protecting the credit union tax status at both the state and federal levels. Other top priorities in 2020 include authorizing credit unions to accept public deposits and legislation that would require all entities handling consumer information to comply with comprehensive data security standards.

The Association’s 2020 legislative priorities and advocacy agenda of the Association was put forth by the Association’s Governmental Affairs Committee, based on responses to a membership-wide survey conducted earlier this year. The Association’s board of directors approved the agenda during its board meeting in early December.

“The Association remains committed to continuing its advocacy for the credit union movement and will continue to share the credit union difference with the newer members of the Legislature to ensure that any legislative actions are in the best interest of the credit union movement as a whole,” said Mellin.

Meanwhile, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Cuomo is expected to outline more than 30 proposals during his State of the State speech today, including his plan to expand financial services access, as previously reported. The Association intends to closely examine Cuomo’s proposals that may impact credit unions.

Both the Assembly and Senate sessions today will be streamed on their respective websites.