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March 28, 2019

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:

• Ameritrust 5% Workers Comp Dividend Paid; Self Serve Update; NJ Liquor Licenses & More; 2019 MBP Brochures; Community Right to Know Survey; Firing Best Practices Webinar; Class C Operator Training

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Mercer County: Gas Station for Sale
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• Cory Booker Goes Nuclear
• Coalition Gets Antsy, Urges Rebate Program For Electric Vehicles
• N.J. Fixed More Bad Bridges After Raising State Gas Tax. Now They’re Talking About Hiking Your Federal Gas Tax.
• Murphy Push For N.J. Millionaires Tax Comes With A Big Risk, Experts Say
• New Jersey Proposes State-based Obamacare Exchange
• Explainer: This Is What’s In New Jersey’s Landmark Marijuana Bill

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!

??????• EMISSIONS INSPECTOR TRAINING CLASS: WEDNESDAY, April 24th
??????• ENTIRE EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26
??????• RECERTIFICATION EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: May 1, 8, 15, 22

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:

AMERITRUST 5% WORKERS COMP DIVIDENT PAID
SELF SERVE UPDATE
STATE INSPECTION UPDATE
NJ LIQUOR LICENSES & MORE
COMMUNITY RIGHT TO KNOW SURVEYS
2019 MBP BROCHURES
FIRING BEST PRACTICES WEBINAR
CLASS C OPERATOR TRAINING

WORKERS COMP DIVIDENDS

For those of you in our workers comp program, we have once again returned part of the premiums you paid last year as a result of good claim activities. You should have all received a check that represents 5% of the total workers comp premium you paid last year. If you have not received a check, please call the office. If you are not in our workers comp program, I would encourage you to take a look into any money you can put in your pocket.

SELF SERVE

We are having success convincing legislators to be open minded about self serve and surprisingly find ourselves being welcomed to discuss this issue with legislators who previously would not have even let us in their offices to talk about it. We still have a long way to go, but I firmly believe there is an evolution in progress and facts are on our side, and the biggest thing we need to overcome is the culture in New Jersey and the lousy bumper sticker “Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas.” Even in Oregon, that last year began permitting customers to pump their own gas in certain geographic areas; there is a movement because of the law’s success. Click here to read about new efforts to permit self serve statewide. On the other hand, there are still those politicians who regrettably make comments based solely on the backwards thinking of the New Jersey culture previously mentioned. Click here to read comments from Congressman Josh Gottheimer, he clearly needs to be educated.

STATE INSPECTIONS

I was in Trenton yesterday to give testimony to the Assembly Budget Committee and am scheduled to give similar testimony today to the Senate Budget Committee. Along with the heavy agenda that we have been pursuing, I continue to try to get Trenton to recognize the value of eliminating the Parsons run central inspection facilities (CIFs) and have all inspections performed in your shops. I know you have heard me discuss this for the past eight years, and I am frustrated that our seemingly valid data and arguments continue to fall on deaf ears. I expect that one day, someone will wake up and grasp on to the opportunity that I am giving the state to save $35 million. I would encourage each of you with repair shops to read my testimony, as I have given a chronology of events that accurately detail our position since 2010. I’ll continue to keep you updated.

LIQUOR LICENSES & MORE

Another item on the NJGCA agenda that I know is important to those of you with convenience stores is one that we have broached for several years, and that is the selling of beer and wine in your stores. Everyone in this state knows that New Jersey’s liquor licensing laws are arcane and ludicrous. They have created an artificial marketplace which has driven the cost of a liquor license to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some instances, several millions of dollars. Frustration over the past several years has caused some legislators to think how this can be solved. Assemblyman Danielsen, who chairs the committee that any of this legislation would have to pass through, held a hearing in Trenton last week so that the legislature can begin gathering facts to consider changing the law. NJGCA’s position is simple and clear: we would like a new class of liquor license be created, completely separate from the existing license that would permit beer and wine only to be sold in convenience stores. The committee graciously gave me and several of our members a sufficient amount of time to explain our position. I want to thank Kashmir Gill and Vikram Kumar, who testified alongside me. You can read and view news coverage of our testimony, and if you would like to take the time to hear the thoughtful questions that were asked of us, you can also listen to our testimony.

As if all of what I just outlined is not enough, there were other issues of importance that affect your businesses that were hotly debated in the legislature this week that I will discuss next week. One of the issues you have heard me discuss many times, wage theft, and of course, the legalization of marijuana.

COMMUNITY RIGHT TO KNOW

Repair shops pay attention here, this is your final reminder! Please note that Community Right to Know surveys are due at the end of March 2019. Last year, we updated the Community Right to Know guidance document to include motor oil and antifreeze. You can find that document HERE.

MBP BROCHURE

By now you should have all received the 2019 MBP brochure. I encourage you to refer to it whenever you need products or services. MBP’s go through a rigorous process before we allow them in our program and they support this organization. I hope you will all support them too.

FIRING WEBINAR

If you have not signed up for our next webinar yet, I strongly urge you to do so now. Our next webinar will be on April 3rd from 2 to 3 PM and will feature MBP Steven Horowitz of the Horowitz Law Group. He will be discussing firing best practices and how to handle difficult employees. I know we have all encountered these situations at one point or another, and it is important to understand the best ways to handle this when it occurs in order to avoid lawsuits. I hope all of you will join us in this very important educational webinar.

CLASS C OPERATOR TRAINING

If you have not registered your employees to complete this training yet, you can purchase the program by clicking HERE. We have already gotten very positive feedback from several members on how useful this is and how easy we have made it to avoid DEP penalties. Again, we recommend certifying ALL of your employees as Class C’s in order to properly instruct them on the different alarms and emergencies that may arise at your station, and to avoid costly penalties from DEP.

That's all for this week-

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

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

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!
WEDNESDAY, April 24th -- 7 AM to 3 PM

Want one of your technicians to become a NJ Emissions Inspector? We can help! Our one-day class will provide all the information for becoming a NJ Emissions Inspector, and the State will administer the written test the very same day at our offices! We are offering the class Wednesday, April 24th from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $275 for members. Click HERE for registration form.

Want to become an emission repair technician/facility?
Entire Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP) Training Classes
Sections 1-7
1 PM to 9 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22
June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26

Sections 8, 9, 10 (RECERTIFICATION)
1 PM to 9 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22

Stop turning away work!

The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Repair Facility and have a Licensed Emission Repair Technician perform the repairs! When the new Emissions Inspection program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Facilities will be given to the vehicle owners who fail the New Jersey Emission Inspection. If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician and you are licensed as a Emission Repair Facility! Those signing up for the FULL training course will attend sections 1-10. Full ETEP class fees for members are $2,195 and non-members are $2,395. Recertification fees for members are $729 and non-members are $879. Note for Spring 2018 classes: Recertification dates will be held FIRST, with sections 1 to 7 to follow.

Click here for FULL ETEP REGISTRATION FORM
Click here for ETEP RECERTIFICATION 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

NEW!
FOR SALE:
GAS STATION FOR SALE
EWING NEW JERSEY
OWNER RETIRING
CALL: 609-882-1105

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.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

3/26/19
Cory Booker Goes Nuclear
In a break with his Democratic opponents and the leftists dominating the debate in the House, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey is an unapologetic supporter of using nuclear energy to displace carbon fuels. "If we want to move quickly toward a carbon-free future, nuclear has to be part of the equation," Booker told the Washington Examiner at a campaign stop in Columbia, South Carolina, over the weekend. His pro-nuclear power stance runs contrary to other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who are skeptical of nuclear energy. Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York voted against a bill in 2017 that aimed to help develop new nuclear reactors. It became law anyway in December 2018.

3/25/19
Coalition Gets Antsy, Urges Rebate Program For Electric Vehicles
Hoping to jump-start the state’s efforts to electrify its transportation system, a coalition of organizations is urging Gov. Phil Murphy to take immediate steps to create a market for electric vehicles. In a letter to the governor, more than 55 organizations recommended the administration establish through an executive order a $45 million rebate program to convince more drivers to buy electric vehicles. They also want him to force a regulatory decision on two filings by utilities to install electric-vehicle charging stations around the state.

3/24/19
N.J. Fixed More Bad Bridges After Raising State Gas Tax. Now They’re Talking About Hiking Your Federal Gas Tax.
New Jersey raised its gas tax three years ago, and since then, there are 24 fewer bridges in poor condition in the state. Now there’s talk about raising the federal gas tax to fund road and bridge construction in New Jersey and across the nation. Rep. Tom Malinowski, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said an increase in the federal gasoline tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1993, is being discussed as federal lawmakers look to pass a new surface transportation bill. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents a gallon.

3/23/19
Murphy Push For N.J. Millionaires Tax Comes With A Big Risk, Experts Say
New Jersey Democrats’ deal last summer to raise taxes on income over $5 million provided only the briefest of reprieves from the debate over the millionaires tax in the Garden State. Now, Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget for next fiscal year has thrust the millionaires tax back into the spotlight with his plans to raise $447 million in new tax revenue from increased taxes on the rich. Murphy contends it’s a matter of tax fairness and making the wealthiest pay their fair share. Right now, all income earned above $5 million is taxed at 10.75 percent. In his budget, Murphy proposed extending that rate to all income over $1 million.

3/22/19
New Jersey Proposes State-based Obamacare Exchange
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday proposed creating a state-based health exchange, saying the state could offer better services while guarding the Affordable Care Act against the Trump administration‘s efforts to undermine it. The Democratic governor sent a declaration of intent letter to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, formally proposing the exchange. Murphy said he believes the state can overcome the regulatory hurdles and get the exchange up and running in time to register for the fall 2020 enrollment period. Implementing a state exchange, rather than relying on healthcare.gov, would allow the state to set its own enrollment period, which the Trump administration has shortened. It could also offer opportunities to brand the New Jersey exchange as a way to promote enrollment.

3/21/19
Explainer: This Is What’s In New Jersey’s Landmark Marijuana Bill
Adult-use marijuana legalization is likely to be voted on by the entire state Legislature as soon as early next week. But since the bill was finalized Monday night, many lawmakers are concerned they haven’t been given enough time to thoroughly digest and assess its major points. What’s more, this measure is the first of its kind in the country and if it passes, could become model legislation for other states looking to legalize and set up a functioning cannabis economy. The ten other states that so far have legalized marijuana have done so by a ballot referendum or, in Vermont’s case, by legislation that didn’t allow for regulated sales.

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 PARTICIPATION: 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.