State Governmental Affairs

Desjardins State Lawmaker Youth Financial Education Award Guidelines

State Level Award

Credit union leagues are welcome to use the Desjardins Award logo to develop plaques or awards to present to state lawmakers who have promoted the importance of youth financial education. A state credit union league may present this Award to as many state lawmakers as the league determines is appropriate in a single year.

The credit union league may present the awards at any function that the league determines appropriate, such as at an annual meeting, a state government affairs meeting, or, if possible, on the floor of the state legislature.

National Award

Only one national Desjardin Award will be presented by CUNA to a state lawmaker each year. State credit union leagues are encouraged to nominate state lawmakers that meet the national award criteria. This criteria is based on the type of legislation the lawmaker is promoting as well as the level of commitment the lawmaker has shown toward this important issue. If a credit union league is planning to enter its state award recipient (s) into the national competition, it should review the national criteria and develop similar guidelines for its state award.

The National Criteria are as follows:

PART I – Legislative Effort

• Legislation requiring all students to receive financial education in schools: 50 pts
• Legislation requiring teachers to take financial literacy courses in order to qualify for accreditation: 50 pts
• Legislation requiring all schools to offer financial literacy classes: 30 pts
• Legislation establishing a pilot program, task force or study to address youth financial education: 20 pts
• Legislation requiring the state or local government to develop or provide financial education materials to the schools: 20 pts
• Legislation promoting the importance of financial literacy in schools: 10 pts

PART II – Examples of State Lawmakers’ Commitment to Youth Financial Education

You may include samples describing one or all of the criteria listed below. The judges will assign each example a point value ranging from 5 – 50 depending on the level of commitment expressed by the lawmaker in the example.

• Media articles
• Floor statements
• How far the legislation advanced in the legislative process
• Community outreach addressing youth financial education
• Examples of leadership to promote financial education in schools
• Description of lawmaker’s efforts to pass the financial literacy legislation
• Description of lawmaker’s on-going efforts to promote financial education in schools.
• Work with local school administrations/regulators to promote financial literacy.

Judges fron CUNA & Affiliates Awards Committee will evaluate relevant activities that took plece within a 3-year window of eligibility.

If a state lawmaker does not win the national competition one year, the league is not prohibited from entering that same recipient another year.

Nominations for the national award must be sent to CUNA’s State Governmental Affairs Department by December 15 of each year.

Judges from CUNA & Affiliates’ Awards Committee will review state-level entries during the national competition in the Fall. To ensure the integrity of the program, judges will select winners only if they meet the criteria. The staff liaison to the Desjardins Award will notify the leagues of national winners from their states. CUNA & Affiliates will send press releases to national winners' leagues and to trade publications. CUNA will recognize national winners at the annual Governmental Affairs Conference.

Please direct questions about the State Lawmaker Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award to Brian Tate at (202) 638-5777 or btate@cuna.com.

• See the Overview
• See the Entry Form

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