Both Governor Christie and Lieutenant Governor Guadagno traveled out of state this week, leaving Senate President Sweeney in charge as Acting Governor. Before doing so, the Governor cleared his desk of most of the bills that were awaiting his approval or veto, and a number of the decisions will affect you. Here’s a brief recap of the issues:
 
Surprise! We were totally shocked when Governor Christie approved increasing the tobacco purchase age to 21.  We assumed that he would veto the bill, but expected the victory to be short-lived because a Governor Phil Murphy (since he is expected to win the election in November) would sign this bill within the first few weeks of his term next year. Either way the age to purchase tobacco would be going up, unfortunately, we just have to deal with things a little sooner now. This bill goes into effect November 1, 2017 so please make sure your signage is changed and make sure your employees are properly checking identification. I expect you'll see more undercover investigations as a result of the change.  The one silver lining is that this statewide bill now neutralizes the effect of the 20 municipalities across the state that already went ahead and raised the age to 21.  This will level the playing field and fortunately stops me from having to go around the state from municipality to municipality fighting against these proposals. I still expect that we will see issues along the Pennsylvania border as 19-20 year olds will still be able to cross the river and purchase cigarettes there.
 
As hoped, the Governor conditionally vetoed the expansion of paid family leave. However, he went much further than we requested with the conditions and I believe that the Legislature will NOT  agree upon a revised bill which would meet the conditions that the Governor laid out.  The logical move would be for the Legislature to wait 6 months for a new Governor to be in office and pass a bill with even more stringent conditions, knowing that if Phil Murphy is Governor he'll likely sign it. When we met with Governor’s Counsel, the only thing we asked was that the Governor remove the provision which would have lowered the exemption from businesses with 50 employees or less down to businesses with 20 employees or less.  My fear is that if this legislation is passed next year, the legislation will include 0 exemptions and will gladly be signed by Phil Murphy.  The legislative challenges in 2018 are going to make it even more important for NJGCA to maintain a stronger presence in Trenton.
 
The Governor absolute vetoed two other employment related bills, which we fear that Phil Murphy and the Legislature will instantly resurrect in January if Democrats have total control of the Legislature and the Governor’s Office. One bill proposed that employers would be banned from asking the salary history of their potential employees during the interview process.  This is legislation that Phil Murphy supports and has promoted on the campaign trail.  Additionally, the proposal to raise minimum wage for Newark Airport employees to $18/hour was absolute vetoed.  We already know that Phil Murphy supports a $15/hour minimum wage, so if he wins in November you can expect the increases to start taking shape soon after he takes office in January.
 
Another reminder about the Weights and Measures Officers Association's annual conference in Atlantic City on September 6-7.  As you know, I speak at the AM session on the first day of the conference and stay for the annual golf outing in the afternoon. This year I’ve been asked to invite NJGCA members to a session on Thursday, September 7th which is day two of the conference. They are planning an industry session to allow YOU the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion and discuss your views. Their goal is to allow you to better understand their responsibilities, and create a spirit of cooperation.  I applaud their willingness to hold this event and I am encouraging you to join us. Please reply and let me know if you will attend. The conference is held at the Golden Nugget, and the forum begins at 11AM.  I will meet you there and I will be happy to buy lunch afterwards for any member who participates.
 
Finally, I’m going to keep promoting NJGCA’s 80^th anniversary gala until I get RSVPs from 100% of members! NJGCA has worked extremely hard to organize an event that will be remembered and enjoyed by ALL! This is a night intended to celebrate YOU, our members, for sustaining this organization and helping us grow into the organization we are today. Our accomplishments are only possible through the dedication, loyalty and support of our membership.  We hope that this event will serve to strengthen the relationship between us and our members, and foster camaraderie between members. If the invitation has already been misplaced or is at the bottom of a pile of mail and you need more information, please call the office at 732-256-9646.  We hope that you will be able to attend and enjoy this special evening with us!

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

                                                                                                                                                         

TRAINING CLASSES!!

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753

                                                                                                                                                               

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NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

07/24/2017:
Will gas hit the highest prices of the year this week?
Gas prices bumped up in the past week to a level that experts said will be annoying for drivers more than painful. The average statewide price for regular was $2.34 a gallon on Friday, with the cheapest discount stations selling gas between $2.11 - $2.15. That was an increase of about a nickel per gallon over the previous week's price. And that's what drivers can expect to see this week, a 3¢ - 5¢ cents per gallon increase. This is the "summer price increase" that was predicted to hit $2.85 a gallon but was revised downward. "It's nominal. We're in a period where it'll go higher, but it's not frightening," said Tom Kloza, Oil Price Information Service global petroleum analyst. "It's more like and annoying drip, drip, drip, where in a few weeks people will remember last year they paid around $1.99 and now it’s $2.30 - $2.40." But it will hardly be high enough to temper demand for gas as people take summer road trips. The nation's tightest gas market is on the East coast, because the region is getting few European imports and there are minor problems at some refineries. Crude oil prices were $45.66 a barrel on Friday and wholesale gas was $1.55 a gallon after briefly topping $1.60 on Wednesday at the NY Mercantile Exchange, NASDAQ reported. "This week, we'll flirt with some of the highest prices, if not the highest prices this year," Kloza said. "It will not be a catastrophic advance." January's price predictions were revised downward in the spring after crude oil production cuts by OPEC nations failed to drive prices up.
 
07/24/2017:
NJ convenience stores say new cigarette law will cost them
Business owners in New Jersey are concerned about the state's new law covering tobacco sales. People living on both sides of the Delaware have crossed state lines for a better deal. Some go to NJ for cheaper gas, others go to Pennsylvania because of a lower cigarette tax.  Now smokers under 21 may be going to the Commonwealth not for value, but because of the new law.  At Towne Market on Main Street in Phillipsburg, NJ, owner Sal Cassar, knows raising the age limit for tobacco sales will do only one thing. "It's going to be a negative business-wise,” said Cassar. “There's no two ways about that." Governor Chris Christie signed the law increasing the smoking age from 19 to 21. The goal of the law, according to bill sponsors, is to give young people a chance to mature a little more before getting they start to smoke. "You're not going to stop it, even though I agree with it,” said Phillipsburg resident, Ed Freeze. “It'll curtail it somewhat." Another issue is the people under 21 who have already been smoking or using e-cigs legally. "Put it into effect, it's like drugs and everything else,” added Freeze. “They are going to find a way to get them. Whether it be the black market, a friend." Getting them will mean going into Pennsylvania. Cassar says people between the ages of 19 and 21 account for one third of his cigarette sales. "The problem is this. You don't only lose the cigarette sell, any other associated product that the customer was going to buy, they are also going to buy wherever they buy their cigarettes," said Cassar. The law will go into effect on November 1. At least one store owner in Pennsylvania said he expects to see an increase in business.

07/21/2017:
Christie guts bill to expand N.J.'s paid family leave law
Gov. Chris Christie gutted a bill Friday that would have strengthened and expanded the state's paid family leave law, saying in his conditional veto message that such a proposal would increase taxes on New Jersey residents. The Republican governor stripped the bill of nearly all its provisions, leaving in place only a few minor elements. Among other things, the bill NJ A4927 (16R) which both houses of the Legislature approved last month, would have doubled the amount of time workers can take off to care for a newborn, a newly adopted child or a sick family member from six weeks to 12 weeks. The program is funded through employee payroll deductions, of a maximum of $33.50 per year per employee. Proponents argued that the payroll tax would not need to be increased because the program is underutilized. Christie disagreed. "The 'facts' supporting that assertion are flimsy at best and put the burden for their mistake, as usual, on the taxpayers," he wrote in his veto message.  What the governor left intact were small mandates that would improve the state's processing and public reporting of family leave claims. But earlier, Christie struck language from the Democrats' proposed budget that would have added $3 million to promote the program and add staff for processing claims.
 
07/21/2017:
Christie, in a surprise move, signs bill raising the age to buy, sell tobacco to 21
Gov. Chris Christie on Friday signed a bill NJ S359 (16R) that will raise the legal age to buy and sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 19 to 21 years old. New Jersey is the third state to make such a change, along with California and Hawaii. The new law will take effect Nov. 1. It was an unexpected move, given that the Republican governor pocket-vetoed the same legislation in January 2016. Raising the minimum purchase age, Christie said in a statement, would give “young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be and that it is better to not start smoking in the first place.” Christie has made combating drug addiction the cornerstone of his final year in office. While his focus has mainly been on opioids, he often speaks about his mother’s addiction to tobacco. “My mother died from the effects of smoking, and no one should lose their life due to any addictive substance,” Christie said. State Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of his chamber's health committee and one of the bill’s sponsors, said he was “pleasantly surprised" by the governor's actions. “I did not think that he would sign it, but he did,” Vitale said. “This is an important public health milestone for New Jersey.” The last time the state raised the smoking age, from 18 to 19, was under Democratic Gov. Dick Codey. “The Governor and I have finally found an issue that we agree on -- helping to save lives,” Codey, who serves as a state senator, said.  The state is expected to lose between $5.8 - $16.2 million in sales tax revenue on cigarettes in the first year of implementation, according to an estimate from the Office of Legislative Services. Christie also conditionally vetoed a measure NJ A3338 (16R) on Friday that would dedicate 1% of the tax revenue on tobacco products to anti-smoking issues.  In his veto message, Christie said he was concerned about the immediate effective date of the bill, which would mean that around $7 million from the general fund would have to be diverted towards the anti-smoking programs.  “I recommend simply delaying implementation of this bill by one year, so that the diversion from the General Fund will be anticipated and incorporated into the next budget,” Christie said in a statement.

07/20/2017:
Brooklyn’s Disappearing Gas Stations
Fifty: That’s how many public gas stations remain in Manhattan, according to a 2016 analysis by The New York Times. That’s 30 fewer gas stations than were in operation in 2008, in a city where the local government alone uses more than 25 million gallons of fuel each year. Brooklyn is trending in the same direction, warns a recent report by the office of Borough President Eric Adams (Fueling Brooklyn’s Future: Refueling Needs in a Resiliency Era). A February 2017 analysis by the borough’s Land Use Department found that nine gas stations had closed in Brooklyn since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Two more sites are under redevelopment. And zoning and development trends are putting an additional 12 gas stations at risk in the next two to three years. “If the current trend continues, the impact will go beyond traditional gas-station consumers and have effects throughout the borough, whether one owns a vehicle or not,” the report states, noting how the fuel shortages after Superstorm Sandy highlighted this danger. “A major disruption to our primary fuel source, combined with too few stations, would mean that deliveries to commercial and retail locations cannot be made and services cannot be provided with regularity, which would impact every Brooklynite,” according to the report. The borough will be taking several actions to address the issue. To read more, click the link above.

                                                                                                                                                                  

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

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TMP Energy Solutions

Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it's difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an "accurate" analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available. 

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum kW demand is acquired. By pooling the member's usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require 12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #'s, meter #'s  service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs.  Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund. 

Contact GREG CANNON at 732-256-9646 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.