On Thursday, January 18th CUNA held a webinar on litigation threats related to website compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Georgia credit unions will recall that the industry was hit with a wave of demand letters statewide in October. This undesirable trend has continued across the country, with more credit unions facing legal threats due to confusion over website compliance with the ADA. Credit unions, Leagues and CUNA have been working to resolve the issue on a federal level, and CUNA has been engaged with both the Department of Justice and Congress to create a path to remove this loophole that has been exploited. In addition, CUNA will meet with Congressional counsel on the 19th to discuss potential legislative solutions.
Georgia was particularly pleased with the level of support credit unions have seen from their members of Congress; out of the 61 members who raised ADA concerns in a letter to the Department of Justice back in late fall, eight were from Georgia: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-1), Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-2), Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-3), Rep. Rob Woodall (R-7), Rep. Jody Hice (R-10), Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-11), and Rep. Rick Allen (R-12). This was a strong show of credit union support as the members of Georgia’s delegation continue to be receptive to the concerns expressed by the industry.
In other efforts on a national level, CUNA:
- Launched an ADA advocacy page for credit unions;
- Outlined concerns with the ADA lawsuits in several meetings with DOJ officials;
- Followed up with a letter highlighting those concerns;
- Backed a bill that would address these threats; and
- Wrote to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.
