America’s Credit Unions, a national trade association representing credit unions across the United States, continued lobbying Congress on marijuana banking during the third quarter of 2026, according to a new federal disclosure filed October 16.
The filing shows that the association retained Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, which reported receiving $50,000 for lobbying activities between July 1 and September 30. Marijuana banking was specifically identified among the issues addressed with the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
The lobbying also covered broader financial services regulations, credit union charters, business lending, consumer protections, data security and federal appropriations. The $50,000 represents compensation for the firm’s overall lobbying work on behalf of the association, rather than spending dedicated exclusively to marijuana banking.
The disclosure continues an established lobbying effort. Earlier filings from the first and second quarters of 2026 also identified marijuana banking among the association’s priorities, with Brownstein reporting $50,000 in compensation during each quarter.
America’s Credit Unions has separately advocated for changes to federal reporting requirements affecting financial institutions that serve marijuana businesses. In recommendations submitted to Congress in May, the organization called for reconsidering the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s requirement that institutions submit marijuana-related suspicious activity reports.
The association recommended eliminating the requirement for marijuana limited suspicious activity reports or, if elimination was not possible, allowing credit unions to submit them annually rather than under the existing reporting schedule.
In September, the organization also highlighted a Government Accountability Office report examining the challenges financial institutions encounter when providing services to marijuana businesses. America’s Credit Unions said it helped connect federal investigators with credit unions to ensure their experiences were included in the review.
The report identified significant compliance burdens associated with marijuana banking, including repeated suspicious activity reporting, additional customer reviews, specialized monitoring and staffing requirements.
The latest lobbying disclosure identifies six Brownstein representatives working on the association’s banking-related issues: Zachary Pfister, Leah Dempsey, Andrew Usyk, Lauren Flynn, Luke Sadowski and Joel Herberman. The filing does not identify specific congressional offices contacted or indicate whether any legislative commitments resulted from the lobbying.
