Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how much our local banks mean to a community. Here in Opelika and across Lee County, they’ve helped families buy homes, start small businesses, and help farmers through tough seasons. When our community banks are strong, our towns are strong.

That’s why I’m worried about a new federal law called the GENIUS Act. It was meant to bring some order to the fast-moving world of digital payments, but there’s a loophole in the law that could end up hurting community banks – the very institutions that keep small-town economies like ours running.

Here’s what’s happening. The GENIUS Act sets new rules for companies that issue something called stablecoins – a type of digital currency that’s supposed to keep a steady value. The law says those companies can’t pay int

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