David Thomas: “I want to speak generally about credit unions and also on the amendment, if I may. I wanted to talk about credit union…”

“I want to speak generally about credit unions and also on the amendment, if I may. I wanted to talk about credit union legislation because it is one of the most important things we will be doing, certainly, this year. I have spent many hours meeting with Wyoming citizens on both sides of the credit union legislation. In fact, in the last year and a half, I have had 32 meetings relative to this bill. So there is a great deal of interest in it. It is the kind of involvement that we ought to have in public issues. It is democracy, certainly, at work. I also have some kind of perspective to it, in that I helped organize a credit union, back when I was with the Wyoming Farm Bureau a number of years ago, a very small one designed to work with the employees there at the Farm Bureau. I think, having worked with not only the Farm Bureau but the Rural Electric Association, I am aware of the value of cooperatives, the value of people being able to come together and do some things for themselves, the ability to tailor the services that are needed in a particular place to that particular need. Certainly, Wyoming is one of the smallest--indeed, it is the smallest State in the Union with regard to population. We do have different needs than occur in New York or occur in Pennsylvania. So as we talk about services and distribution of services, it makes a good deal of difference. I also think credit unions have fitted themselves to these needs, as have community banks.”