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March 8, 2018

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

• Fighting Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Again; Use Only Reputable C-Store Distributors; Male Enhancement Lawsuit Meeting Details; List of Banned Products to Remove From Your Store Now; NJGCA Sponsoring Seminar with NJDEP: Avoid Penalties

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001
- Asbury Park: Commercial Building for Sale. Possible Sale of Business
- Bergen County: Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• Sweeney's Alternative to Millionaire's Tax: Raise Corporate Taxes

• The United States will dominate the oil industry for the next 5 years, International Energy Agency forecasts

• Sarlo, Oroho and Bipartisan Allies Present Plan to Preserve Deductibility of State Income Taxes
• ‘Harvest Boxes’: Grocers fear for business, patrons’ health
• Washington State Is Set to Vote on a Carbon Tax. For the Governor, It’s a Gamble
• Philly soda tax revenue falling short, city adjusts plans for pre-K and other programs

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
• Section 8,9 & 10 Re-Certification Class, MONDAY, March 5th; TUESDAY, March 13th, THURSDAY, March 15th, & MONDAY, March 19th

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
• The Amato Agency: Garage Insurance and Workers Compensation!
• ATS Environmental: Confidence in your Tank & Compliance Testing
• Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
• CBIZ Insurance: Our Business is Growing Yours!
• Gill Energy: Getting you There!
• Lending Capital: "Commercial Loans Made Easy" Program
• Salomone Brothers: Tank Testing and Environmental Compliance
• TMP Energy Solutions: Another Way to Save On Your Energy Bills

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
• Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

FIGHTING MANDATORY PAID SICK LEAVE AGAIN
USE ONLY REPUTABLE C-STORE DISTRIBUTORS!
MALE ENHANCEMENT LAWSUIT MEETING DETAILS
LIST OF BANNED PRODUCTS TO REMOVE FROM YOUR STORE NOW!
NJGCA SPONSORING SEMINAR WITH NJDEP- -AVOID PENALTIES

Well, we’ve been waiting for this hammer to drop for two months now. This Monday, the Assembly Labor Committee will be voting on the bill to require every business in the state to offer all of their employees mandatory paid “sick” leave. Frankly, we had been expecting this bill to start moving virtually the first day after Gov. Murphy was sworn in, as well as $15 minimum wage and a host of other business restrictions. We have successfully battled these issues for the past three years. So far things in Trenton have been a bit slower than expected, but it looks like they are picking up now. We are hoping that they will lessen the burden for smaller businesses and reduce the liability owners will be faced with. Even businesses that think they offer generous paid leave policies will be affected by the micromanaging and bookkeeping this bill calls for. The sponsors of the bill still haven’t decided on what the actual requirements in the bill will be, and they probably won’t decide for sure until the day of the hearing (government in action!). NJGCA will be there to oppose the bill, and we’ll give you a full breakdown next week.

FINAL REMINDER regarding the strangest issue I can ever recall dealing with during my tenure at NJGCA: the male enhancement pill lawsuit. If you have received a demand letter from the law firm Tauler Smith regarding these products, you must contact me IMMEDIATELY. All documents must be scanned into a PDF and emailed to michelle@njgca.org. If you have multiple locations and have gotten multiple letters, I need all the documents for EACH LOCATION.

To all convenience store owners, this is episode is a major reminder of the importance to deal with ONLY reputable wholesalers. NJGCA has two approved Member Benefit Partners we recommend: Harold Levinson Associates (HLA) and Quick & Fresh. More information about them is available in our MBP brochure. This whole mess is what happens when you trust a random guy who sells his products out of his trunk or the back of a van. If members had made all of their purchases from one of these distributors and no one else, then they would not be in this threatened lawsuit because of selling illicit products. This is a lesson learned.

Regardless of whether or not you have received a demand letter, you need to make sure all of these products are off your shelf NOW. You can check here for the complete list of products the FDA has banned.

I am concerned also that some of you have sold these products in the past and may think that you are in the clear because you haven’t received one of these letters. Do not assume that you have successfully dodged it, I have received indications from other states that there may be another round of these letters in the near future. In fact a member just received a letter today which confirms my suspicions.

As you should have seen in the Wildfire Alert that went out, we are hosting a meeting here at our offices in the 2^nd floor training room this Monday, March 12^th, at 2pm to discuss this issue with those affected with our attorney. You can read that alert here.

If you know any other business owner who has received one of these letters, tell them to contact me immediately. If I do not hear from them, we cannot help them.

On Tuesday night Gov. Murphy declared the first state of emergency of his tenure. As you know, when a state of emergency is declared the gouging laws go into effect for gas and diesel. These restrictions prevent any station from raising the cost of their product by more than 10%, unless there is an increase in wholesale cost. Although since the average price of gas is about $2.60, I doubt any of would raise your price more than a quarter a gallon anyway, and if you did the marketplace would punish you before the Attorney General could!

Finally, expect to receive an invitation in the mail for our upcoming seminar with NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The seminar will be held April 17^th from 8:30-3 PM at The Imperia in Somerset. The DEP will be covering the new Underground Storage Tank (UST) rules, the decommissioning of Stage II vapor recovery, and the Operator Training requirements. The program includes a light breakfast and buffet lunch.

Every owner of a UST should make it a point to attend this seminar. Space is limited so make sure you reserve your spot as soon as possible! You can view the invite here and register here

That’s it for now,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753
ETEP Re- Certification Class: Sections 8,9 & 10
Section 8: Monday, March 5th
Section 9: Tuesday March 13th & Thursday March 15th
Section 10: Monday, March 19th
2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Do you have an emission repair technician that needs re-certification? We are offering sections 8-10 classes this march! This four day class meets NJ DEP's requirements for re-certification. Member rate: $675 & Non-Member rate: $795 Call our office if you need more information.
Click HERE for the registration form.

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

FOR SALE:

Business For Sale: Monmouth County gas station and repair shop in business since 2001 is for sale. Owner is relocating out of state and is interested in selling business and equipment. Owner is open to limited financing. Business has a strong 10 year lease. The building has two repair bays and the gas pumps are leased to a large independent tenant. Repair shop business currently employs a Manager and two full-time Technicians. For inquiries and more info, please call Mark at 908-670-7798.

FOR SALE:

Commercial Building in Asbury Park, Possible Sale of Business, Too! For listing information, please click HERE.

FOR SALE:

Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale in Bergen County!

Business established in 1980. Fully equipped repair shop with 5 lifts including an alignment rack with a 2-year-old Hunter Hawkeye alignment machine. New Hunter tire machine & wheel balancer. AAA aproved and very busy.

Towing business also available which includes 3 Freightliner/JerrDan flatbeds (2015, 2016 & 2017), a 2012 Dodge crew cab wrecker with a Jerrdan Quick Pick & dual cable winch & 2 service trucks (a 2012 GMC 2500 utility truck with a plow & a 2014 Ford transit battery/service vehicle).

Pumping over 1,000,000 gallons per year. 100x300 lot with plenty of parking. Excellent location!!! Call Jim @ 201-851-3084.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

3/6/18
Sweeney's alternative to millionaire's tax: Raise corporate taxes
Senate President Steve Sweeney said Tuesday he wants to raise taxes on corporations earning more than $1 million in annual net income, unveiling a plan that offers a direct alternative to Gov. Phil Murphy’s controversial proposal to impose new taxes on millionaires. Sweeney would direct nearly all of the new revenue to go toward local aid for school districts, dedicating much of it to special education, and would couple it with changes to how such aid is distributed across the state. The Senate president, who has labeled Murphy’s proposal a “last resort,” said New Jersey has an opportunity to raise taxes on businesses because the federal tax code changes that took effect this year created huge benefits for many companies.

3/5/18
The United States will dominate the oil industry for the next 5 years, International Energy Agency forecasts
Oil demand will keep expanding over the next five years, and the United States will fulfill most of the world's growing appetite, the International Energy Agency said on Monday. In its latest annual outlook, the IEA forecasted that strong economic growth around the world will continue to support strong oil consumption until at least 2023. Along with surging output from the U.S., rising production in Canada, Brazil and Norway will be able to meet higher demand through 2020, the energy policy adviser said. Beyond that, however, the IEA warned that oil supply could become tight unless investment in new production rebounds from historic declines in recent years.

3/5/18
Sarlo, Oroho and Bipartisan Allies Present Plan to Preserve Deductibility of State Income Taxes
In response to President Donald J. Trump’s federal tax plan, Senators Paul Sarlo (D-36), Steve Oroho (R-24), Troy Singleton (D-7) and Anthony Bucco Sr. (R-25) today announced a bipartisan legislative initiative that will preserve the federal deductibility of an estimated $23 billion in state income taxes for New Jersey’s small businesses and partnerships. The legislation will amend New Jersey’s state tax code to the system that was in place prior to 1993 under which S corporations, Limited Liability Corporations (LLC’s) and other business partnerships directly paid the state income tax liability of their owners and partners.

3/5/18
‘Harvest Boxes’: Grocers fear for business, patrons’ health
The federal government recently revealed new plans for the “SNAP” program. The idea called “America’s Harvest Box” was floated in February in the Trump administration’s 2019 budget proposal, tucked inside a plan to slash SNAP by roughly $213 billion, or 30 percent, over the next 10 years. Households that receive more than $90 in SNAP benefits each month — roughly 81 percent of households in the program, or about 16.4 million — would be affected. Grocery store trade associations, as well as nonprofits like The Food Trust, argue that removing food stamp recipients’ ability to buy their own provisions could undermine recent successes in eliminating “food deserts.”

3/1/18
Washington State Is Set to Vote on a Carbon Tax. For the Governor, It’s a Gamble
This week in the statehouse in Olympia, Wash., Gov. Jay Inslee fought but failed to bring a vote on a historic climate change policy: instituting the nation’s first tax on planet-warming carbon dioxide pollution. Advocates and opponents of climate change action are paying close attention to Mr. Inslee’s next steps. Economists broadly agree that taxing the carbon pollution produced by burning fossil fuels is the most efficient way to fight climate change. But politicians agree that it is also a nearly surefire way to get voted out of office. After all, a carbon tax is, by design, an energy tax. Among other things it would most likely raise the prices that voters pay for gasoline and electricity, which is why the idea has long been seen as politically toxic.

3/1/18
Philly soda tax revenue falling short, city adjusts plans for pre-K and other programs
Philadelphia’s tax on sweetened drinks has lacked the revenue fizz that officials anticipated, and the city is downsizing plans for the programs it’s intended to fund. In Mayor Kenney’s budget proposal, which he will unveil Thursday, the tax’s projected revenues are lowered by about 15 percent. The controversial tax, the first of its kind in the nation and closely watched by other cities, will likely bring in $78.8 million in the current fiscal year, officials said — about $13 million less than the city had planned in its current budget. The adjustments are certain to renew criticism from opponents of the 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on soda and other sweetened beverages. The American Beverage Association, beverage distributors, and store owners have railed against the levy as not only harmful to their businesses, but also unsustainable, citing the revenue shortfalls.

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

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.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.