10 Comments

Such a good idea! I know we made some strides here in WA, and even in Seattle, and i believe ran into some of the regulations Ellen Brown cites here. Time to take it up again? Would love to hear from Bob Hasegawa and John Repp or others about where things stand now.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5509&Year=2023&Initiative=false

https://council.seattle.gov/2018/10/31/sawant-obrien-release-report-detailing-feasibility-of-public-bank/

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Bob has a page on his Senate website devoted to the public bank issue.

https://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/hasegawa/public-bank-information/

It is a good place to send folks to learn more about the issue in Washington.

I've found that even out here in deep red Stevens County, this issue resonates with voters. (Our GOP legislators routinely voted against it when they had the opportunity.) But last session it never got out of committee for a floor vote. The roll call (ifthere even was one) of the failed vote on the motion to report the bill out of the Senate Committee on Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade in Feb. 2023 isn't shown. With the Dem majority there must have been Dem 'NO' votes. They need to be held accountable for them.

There will need to be selective bottom-up pressure this session, first to get a bill out of committee and then on a floor vote. Both on Dems who oppose a state bank and persuadable GOP. Wall Street banks are not popular with the voters on either side of the political divide. Saving billions on infrastructure spending should not be a partisan issue. It is a class issue that should be easy to organize around in every Legislative District.

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Fairly new group, Washingtonians for Public Banking, working on it. https://www.waforpublicbanking.org/

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I understand there may be a bill introduced this session in the Washington Legislature. There are workarounds for the limits on loans to private parties.

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If it is the only bank in the country that operates this way, doesn't mean it is the best for the people of North Dakota. In this case it means it just caters to the public servants of North Dakota. Burgum is being promoted, Noem is being promoted, if the truth were known...........and I used to be a Republican

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The details reported in this piece indicate it is of benefit. Its creation in the populist era far predates the current right wing politicians. Noem btw is from South Dakota. Today there is lots of movement toward public banking interests multiple states and cities. It is opposed by private banking interests. I expect we will see creation of more such institutions.

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I am in South Dakota, and the level of corruption in both Dakotas is criminal

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But do we have a valid explanation as to why The Bank Of North Dakota liquidated its personal mortgage activity to the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency in 2020? My wife just had her equity stolen from her by that agency. I have been unable to determine what the use for 2 trust accounts in MN that are utilized by the North Dakota Housing Agency to conduct business and wrongful foreclosures.

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I do not know. I will forward this to the author.

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Sorry, no idea either! The BND carefully avoids competing with the local banks; perhaps that's it. They just partner with them in making loans.

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