Go to this link to send a message to Sen. Cantwell today!: https://secure3.convio.net/crl/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=251

In a marathon session that ended before dawn Friday June 25, a bipartisan committee of House and Senate members crafted a sweeping and historic bill designed to overhaul our financial system and get our economy back on track.

To fight reform, Wall Street spent millions of dollars on lobbyists, attack ads, fundraisers and more. But, in the end, Congress delivered a strong bill to right our economy and make financial transactions safer for taxpayers and small business owners.

What does the bill do? Here are a few highlights:

•Creates an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that has oversight over and the power to enforce rules for financial issues ranging from overdraft fees to mortgages and payday loans.
•Limits risky activities by Wall Street and banks and prohibits taxpayer funds from being used to bail out troubled banks.
•Puts in place new mortgage rules that: 1) require lenders to engage in sound underwriting before making home loans, 2) ban kickbacks to lenders when they steer borrowers into more expensive loans and 3) limit prepayment penalties and other excessive fees. These new national rules draw on a decade of strong state anti-predatory lending laws.


What’s next? The House approved the financial reform bill by a vote of 237-192. Now it’s up to the Senate to vote for the bill, which they’re expected to do during the week of July 12.

What can you do? Tell your Senator today to VOTE YES for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act when the bill comes up for a vote.

Go to this link to send a message to Sen. Cantwell today!: https://secure3.convio.net/crl/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=251