On September 20th credit unions sat down with state Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Atlanta) to grow her in-district connections with the industry, and to personally thank her for all of her work passing the board member protection bill, HB 192, into law. This was the bill that Georgia credit unions worked throughout the state legislative session to pass as it strengthens the protections of board members and officers in the decision-making process. This bill was a unique legislative need for Georgia due to a state Supreme Court case that decided that a board of directors in Georgia could be held personally liable for ordinary negligence committed in the decision-making process. GCUA and others lobbied extensively for the bill, but it would not have been possible without Rep. Beskin’s tenaciousness against steep opposition. This bill, which was signed into law in May, places the personal liability level back to gross negligence.
Rep. Beskin has been open to credit union legislative positions since her first term in 2015, and is on a key committee for credit unions: House Judiciary, where many of the bills that impact the industry are debated. GCUA enjoyed the close work with her in this past session on procuring the board member protections, and thank you to the credit union leaders from Associated CU, Georgia’s Own CU, and Georgia United CU who sat down with Rep. Beskin to represent the entire industry’s gratitude for her work. And this meeting was orchestrated not just to thank her for her efforts, but also to continue the relationship-building so that her door is open on other legislative issues (as there are always more issues). This meeting strengthened her personal in-district relationships that will only help in the future.
