Members of the KBA Federal Affairs Committee, KBA officer, and KBA Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) classes from 2020-2021 and 2022 spent several days — Sept. 19-23 — in our nation’s capital to lobby Kansas’ members of Congress and to visit with Federal banking regulators about issues of importance to the banking industry. The group included two BLOK classes and the 2020-2021 BLOK class could finally attend despite the pandemic’s best efforts to keep them home!
BLOK classes started their visit with a guided night tour of Washington, D.C., with morning sessions beginning on Monday, Sept. 19, at the American Bankers Association (ABA) and the U.S. Capitol. On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the group teamed up with KBA’s officer team and KBA Federal Affairs committee and spent time with the OCC, FDIC and CFPB on regulatory priorities, including Overdraft Programs, CRA Modernization, and Climate Risk Management. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, almost 60 bankers visited Capitol Hill to talk about ECORA, Section 1071 Small Business Reporting relief, and Credit Card Interchange and Routing Mandates. The trip concluded with a networking evening reception open to all our Congressional Delegation members and their staff.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, who serves on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, reaffirmed his support for several KBA initiatives during a briefing with the Senator on
Capitol Hill.
KBA Chairman Shan Hanes and CFPB Director Chopra
KBA Chairman Shan Hanes stressed the need for a broader community bank exemption from the CFPB’s 1071 Small Business Reporting Rule to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall provided his perspective on headwinds threatening the U.S. economy during a special briefing for Kansas bankers hosted in the U.S. Senate Russell Office Building.
Congresswoman Sharice Davids, Legislative Director, Brandon Naylor and KBA Past Chairman Mike Ewy
KBA Federal Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Ewy encouraged Brandon Naylor, Legislative Director for Cong. Sharice Davids (3rd District) to consider lending support for the ECORA Act in light of the rising interest rate environment negatively impacting Kansas ag producers.
ABA 101
Matt Brown, SVP, State Association Alliance, and Kirsten Sutton, EVP, Congressional Relations and Legislative Affairs, welcomed the BLOK class to the ABA and gave them an overview of the services provided by ABA and how best to get involved with the ABA and federal government relations.
Congressman Tracey Mann and KBA Officers
Kansas 1st District Congressman Tracey Mann joined KBA’s Federal Affairs Committee and KBA’s Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) Classes for a rise and shine breakfast update on the November elections that will likely reshape leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congressman Jake LaTurner
Cong. Jake LaTurner (2nd District) expressed strong support for the KBA-supported Enhancing Credit Opportunities for Rural America (ECORA) Act during his Capitol Hill meeting with Kansas bankers.
Congressman Ron Estes
Cong. Ron Estes (4th District) discussed a host of KBA-supported initiatives during KBA’s visit to his Washington office, and he also took time to catch up with industry leaders at a KBA-hosted reception for the Kansas Delegation
and staff.
Chiefs of Staff Panel
Brent Robertson, Chief of Staff to U. S. Senator Roger Marshall, and Braden Dreiling, Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Jake LaTurner, explain the day in the life of the Chief of Staff. They also talked about how best to communicate with their office and how they arrived to where they are today.
2020-2021 Bank Leaders of Kansas Class
2022 Bank Leaders of Kansas Class
BLOK Class Guided D.C. Tour
Kyle Campbell, President & CEO of Astra Bank in Abilene and Vice Chair of Eisenhower Foundation, explains the work to the BLOK classes that went into constructing the memorial of Kansas’ favorite son and 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The class also visited the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, Jefferson Memorial, and many more!
