Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1300
Sponsors: DESCHAMBAULT, DOORE, FREDETTE, LYFORD, PICCHIOTTI, KEIM

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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HOUSE ADVANCE JOURNAL AND CALENDAR - Thursday, March 15, 2018
(4-2)  On motion of Representative WALLACE of Dexter, the following Joint 
Resolution:  (H.P. 1300) (Cosponsored by Senator DESCHAMBAULT of York and 
Representatives: DOORE of Augusta, FREDETTE of Newport, LYFORD of Eddington, 
PICCHIOTTI of Fairfield, Senator: KEIM of Oxford) 
JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE STATE'S CREDIT UNIONS 
WHEREAS, Maine's credit unions are member-owned and member-operated financial 
cooperatives with an unwavering commitment to serving the needs of their members and 
communities.  The nonprofit structure of credit unions provides each member with an equal 
voice and representation in the operations of the credit union.  Serving members in all 16 Maine 
counties and in every community, Maine's credit unions are focused on the needs of their 
member owners with the primary purpose of benefiting the nearly 700,000 Maine consumers 
who use credit unions; and 
WHEREAS, the economic benefit that Maine's credit unions provide to Maine consumers 
is approximately $50,000,000 annually, as a result of lower and fewer fees on products and 
services, lower interest rates on loans and higher interest rates on savings; and 
WHEREAS, Maine is ranked as the nation's 5th strongest credit union state based on the 
percentage of population that uses a credit union, a position Maine has held for 15 consecutive 
years, and credit unions serve more than half the residents of the State; and 
WHEREAS, the 2,250 full-time and part-time employees of Maine's credit unions and 
the more than 1,000 unpaid volunteers who serve on credit union boards and committees 
demonstrate the core credit union values, philosophy and mission of people helping people by 
contributing to the communities they serve, not just with financial services but by fostering a 
spirit that strengthens communities; and 
WHEREAS, since 1990 Maine's credit unions and their members have raised over 
$8,000,000 to help end hunger in Maine, including a record-setting $740,000 in 2017.  One 
hundred percent of all money that is raised through the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for 
Ending Hunger stays in Maine and goes directly to assist thousands of Maine families and 
individuals who otherwise would go hungry.  In addition to contributing thousands of dollars to 
food pantries in communities across the State, Maine's credit unions also help to provide funds 
for statewide initiatives to help end hunger, such as being the primary source of funding for the 
State's first Food Mobile, which has delivered more than 5,200,000 pounds of food to food 
pantries in every Maine county since 2005; and 
HOUSE ADVANCE JOURNAL AND CALENDAR - Thursday, March 15, 2018
WHEREAS, in partnership with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine's credit unions, as 
major supporters of the BackPack Program and the School Pantry Program, have demonstrated a 
renewed commitment to ending childhood hunger.  The support of Maine's credit unions has 
helped these programs to grow to serve more than 120 schools and more than 3,500 students 
weekly and to provide significant help to the one in 4 Maine children who might otherwise go 
hungry; and 
WHEREAS, in 2017 Maine's credit unions contributed more than $2,500,000 to a variety 
of causes and organizations, including financial literacy programs such as Youth Financial 
Fitness Fairs, which were delivered to a record-setting 20,000 high school students during the 
past school year, the Maine children's cancer program, the Red Cross, Special Olympics and 
countless organizations in communities across Maine.  In the past 15 years, Maine credit unions 
have contributed more than 450,000 volunteer hours to their communities, an effort that makes a 
significant and positive impact not only on the organizations that receive this assistance but also 
on the people who are served by and benefit from the services and resources that they provide; 
and 
WHEREAS, since 1921 Maine's credit unions have been contributing to the betterment of 
the lives of thousands of Maine people, who have been helped to achieve financial success and 
stability.  Throughout Maine, credit unions continue to play a vital economic and socially 
responsible role in the lives of individuals and remain a local, significant and stable presence in 
the communities they serve; now, therefore, be it 
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Legislature 
now assembled in the Second Regular Session, take this opportunity to recognize the Maine 
Credit Union League and Maine's credit unions for their positive contributions and the 
significant role they have played in the lives of Maine citizens and their communities for more 
than 96 years.  Maine is a better place because of the service, dedication and contributions of 
Maine's credit unions; and be it further 
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary 
of State, be transmitted to the Maine Credit Union League and its member credit unions. 
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