Legislative Affairs
The National Coalition supports educating members to pending and enacted legislation that affects store operations, licensing, product taxation, and other store operations.
The following article is from the September/October 2011 issue of Avanti Magazine.
Centennial And Golden States Legislative Update
FOA leaders, together with leadership from SEI, journeyed to the Centennial State (Colorado) and the Golden State (California) earlier this summer to meet with state legislators, their leadership and industry allies to discuss policy issues affecting 7-Eleven store owners. The effort was part of a broader strategy at the National Coalition level to begin to engage FOA leaders and franchisees on a more intensive level in the government affairs arena. This includes encouraging them to reach out to their state legislators as well as building grassroots support for issues of importance to individual franchisees and the National Coalition.
In Colorado, FOA leaders and SEI representatives met with a number of state officials, including Senator Betty Boyd, the Senate Pro Tempore, Representative BJ Nikkel, Representative Mark Ferrandino, and industry representatives from the Colorado Retail Council. The main issue facing 7-Eleven franchisees in Colorado revolves around “near beer,” more formally known as 3.2 percent beer, and the fact that storeowners are prohibited from selling full-strength beer in their stores, a discriminatory practice. Franchisees are losing customers and revenue because of this inequality, and the meetings served to inform all involved on how best to tackle this issue in the future, whether at the legislative level or through a referendum.
Over in California, FOA leaders and SEI representatives met with some heavy hitters, including California State Assembly Speaker John Perez, Assembly Member Jerry Hill, Senator Alex Padilla, as well as industry associates from the California Retailers Association. They also had time to listen to representatives from Californians Against Waste, in an effort to understand and communicate with individuals whose interests are not always aligned with those of franchisees.
California is proving fertile ground with numerous issues facing 7-Eleven storeowners and their allies in the convenience store industry—bag issues and cigarette tax issues being the two largest. In June of next year, a $1 per pack tax increase on cigarettes is being proposed in a referendum that will pit a population tired of being taxed against legislators in Sacramento who seem to thrive on tax increases. Opportunities will exist for the FOAs and franchisees to engage in some real, meaningful, and effective grassroots advocacy to defeat this unnecessary burden.
The two days of intense meetings and strategy sessions produced a more complete understanding of the legislative issues franchisees face, helped to cement some useful alliances, and served to inform leaders so that a concrete strategy can be put together and acted on. While Colorado and California can serve as excellent case studies on issues facing FOAs and franchisees at the state, county and city level, other states face similar issues. The National Coalition board will be putting a strategic plan together to address these issues while working to encourage franchisees across the country to more deeply engage in both the legislative process and in grassroots activities.
Debit Card Swipe Fee Information
The National Coalition encourages franchisees to visit the following websites for more information and the latest news on debit card swipe fee reform:
7-Eleven Franchisees For Fairness
Big Bank Bailout
Read the latest National Coalition Legislative News Releases:
NCASEF Urges All To Help Keep Swipe Fee Reform On Track
NCASEF Chairman Statement On Swipe Fee Reform
