UW College of Law Dean Testifies Before U.S. Senate Subcommittee

Julie Hill, the dean and Wyoming Excellence Chair at the University of Wyoming’s College of Law, testified at the Senate Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection hearing in Washington, D.C., last week.

The hearing, titled “Ensuring Fair Access to Banking: Policy Levers and Legislative Solutions,” examined allegations that banks have unfairly closed accounts for some people and industries. Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., invited Hill, who studies banking regulation and supervision, to testify after his staff read drafts of her article “Governmental Debanking,” which will be published in the Texas A&M Law Review in 2026. 

“A stable banking system relies on public trust in government bank supervisors. Debanking and persistent rumors of debanking undercut trust in bank supervisors,” Hill said in her testimony. She also advocated for limits on supervisory discretion and increased supervisory transparency.

Members of the subcommittee, including Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., are considering draft legislation that would limit regulators’ ability to pressure banks to debank disfavored industries. In addition to Hill, the subcommittee heard from Kathleen Sgamma, from Multiple-Use Advocacy, and Tyler Klimas, a former Nevada marijuana regulator and founder of Leaf Street Strategies, a consulting service for public and private-sector clients in the hemp and cannabis industry.

To view Hill’s testimony or read her submitted comments, visit www.banking.senate.gov/hearings/ensuring-fair-access-to-banking-policy-levers-and-legislative-solutions.