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June 7, 2013 Here is what you will find in this edition:
JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!
REMINDER: TAKE THE SURVEY
LOTS OF TRENTON ACTIVITY RIGHT TO REPAIR – ZONE PRICING WEIGHTS n MEASURES – TOBACCO DEATH OF OUR SENATOR
FIRST THINGS FIRST: GENERATOR SURVEY
I’m sure you all have received an email from me everyday this past week reminding you to take a very important survey. IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE THIS YET, PLEASE DO SO NOW! The Governor’s Office is relying on information from our members to help them understand what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and help them shape policy in order to prevent extreme gas lines in the future. Right now, there are proposals on the table for mandatory generators at all gas stations. We have been successful so far in blocking them, but there is more work to be done to kill these proposals altogether. Please fill out our survey so that we can help the Governor’s Office understand that the true cause of the gas lines was not electricity, but NO GAS! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE SURVEY. It should only take three minutes! Thank you! I’m sure you will recall, at the end of last week’s Road Warrior I mentioned the likelihood that we might have some important legislation being discussed in Trenton on Thursday. Well, I was right, and we were busier than ever this week writing testimony and preparing for THREE critical bills to be heard in just ONE committee meeting that took place yesterday morning. We also prepared testimony for a FOURTH bill but that was heard in a different committee. Here are the details of our work in Trenton this week. RIGHT TO REPAIR: Ok….how many of you auto repair shops are tired of telling your customers that they “have to take their car to the dealer for repairs” because you can’t fix it? I have been advocating for legislation to be passed for years. In 2008, New Jersey made history when the General Assembly became the first legislative body in the country to pass this legislation, but it stalled in the Senate and was never made in to law. It hasn’t really gained traction since then… until now. Because Massachusetts voters passed “Right to Repair” in a referendum last year, there has been added pressure for the car manufacturers to come to the table and negotiate. Nationally, the car manufacturers, auto dealers, and those representing the auto repair shops have been negotiating a national “Right to Repair” agreement. A deadline has been set by those of us representing repair shops to reach this agreement by July 31, 2013. NJ Right to Repair legislation, A-352, was heard yesterday in committee and was “for discussion only,” meaning that there was no vote. The legislation did not move out of the committee, but the Chairman promised it would, in the fall, if an agreement is not reached with car manufacturers. It is an encouraging sign that legislators are eager to move forward with this consumer friendly legislation. If there is no national agreement reached by August 1st the NJ legislature understands that Right to Repair should move quickly. The auto industry has stalled us all long enough! The bill's sponsor, who has worked closely with NJGCA throughout this whole process, issued a press release underscoring the importance of this legislation. I'd like to thank Assemblyman Gusciora for supporting small businesses and NJ motorists in advocating for this proposal. ZONE PRICING: Zone pricing has been a long-time and important issue that I have been working on since I arrived here 6 years ago. We reached an agreement with the Fuel Merchants Association of NJ and submitted amendments to the sponsor of A-2729, Assemblyman Diegnan, who agreed with the proposed changes. The bill language that was discussed in committee included the amendments and the changes that we had proposed, but all parties agreed that there is one more change that must be made on the floor of the Assembly. In an unexpected victory, the bill was moved off of the “for discussion only” list and was given a vote. The committee voted unanimously to move the bill into the next stage of the legislative process. I believe we will see action on this legislation before the year ends. There are still a few major brand suppliers that utilize zone pricing scenarios and charge some of their dealers 20-30 cents a gallon more at times than they charge other dealers. This is patently unfair to the motorists that purchase gas at these locations, but more worrisome to me is the fact that these dealers must operate at such a competitive disadvantage. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: I mentioned above that we prepared all week for four bills; however, one piece of legislation was pulled from the agenda at the last minute. I do expect that it will be back on the table soon, so here are some details. There is a proposal, A-1236, to repeal an existing statute which governs the duties of weights and measures officers. Presently the statute mandates that officers and employees designated to enforce weights and measures laws and regulations devote all of their time to those duties. The repeal of this law will then allow other “consumer affairs personnel” to perform weights and measures functions. This dangerous proposal will hurt the industry by preventing us from having the most highly-trained and specialized weights and measures officers to oversee our industry. Believe me when I say that weights and measures officers have the experience and understanding of our industry that prevent a bigger burden on you than you currently have. Overly enthusiastic “consumer affairs inspectors” will be out to write as many fines as will please their superiors. Although weights and measures officers strictly enforce the laws, their experience helps them to know the difference between an honest business owner and a truly bad apple that is out to defraud motorists. I still have bad memories from the Clown Show that was performed by Attorney General Anne Milgram back in 2008. That whole episode was bad, but if not for the professional experience of trained Weights and Measures officers and the county superintendents that supervise them, Milgram would have made a bigger mess than the mess she already had made. UNSTAMPED & CONTERFEIT CIGARETTES: A-3278 will increase the civil and criminal penalties for offenses such as selling cigarettes without a license, purchasing or selling unstamped cigarettes, or refusing to produce business records pertaining to the purchase, sale or transportation of cigarettes. In his support of the bill, the sponsor Assemblyman Bucco explains, "No one is naïve enough to believe that buyers and sellers of cigarettes do not exploit illegal loopholes and avoid paying the lawful taxes that are due. Smuggling cigarettes into New Jersey is not a secret. Not only does the state lose important revenue, but it hurts the law-abiding retailers in our state such as convenience stores and gas stations who sell cigarettes and depend on these customers for business." NJGCA Government Affairs Assistant Eric Blomgren testified at yesterday’s hearing supporting the bill and it was voted out of committee unanimously! In other political news, New Jersey held state-wide primary elections on Tuesday for the State Senate and General Assembly. There were no surprises, and no incumbent candidates lost their primaries. The big story coming out of Trenton this week was the death of US Senator from NJ, Frank Lautenberg. Senator Lautenberg led a long life of public service, and he was a dedicated fighter for the state of New Jersey. He was especially active in transportation and infrastructure projects. On Tuesday, Governor Christie laid out his plan to fill the vacant seat, which will occur via special election on October 16, 2013. Christie announced yesterday that he has chosen Attorney General Jeff Chiesa to fill the position and represent New Jersey in the United States Senate until October 16, 2013. Thanks for reading – See you next week!
Regards,
BUSINESS FOR SALE!
Business Opportunity:
•Location – 34 Rt. 206 South – Somerville, NJ
Serious Inquiries Please Contact Bill at 908-887-1385
Do you have a business for sale? Are you looking for a new location or opportunity? If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!
CLASSIFIEDS: FOR SALE & HELP WANTED! After running an ad in the Road Warrior over the last month, NJGCA was able to assist a member in selling his equipment! If you'd like to list equipment for sale, or have an open position you'd like to make other industry professionals aware of, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066 and let us help you get the word out!
NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW
06/05/2013:
Chris Christie’s Catch 22: And Why He Made the Right (Political) Decision This article better explains the options that Governor Christie had to consider as he made his decision about how to proceed in the wake of Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death. The article lays out Christie’s three choices and then evaluates the merits of the decision that Governor Christie ultimately made. 06/05/2013: Only 1/3 of Traffic Pollution Actually Caused by Car Exhaust, Study Finds According to research led by the University of Hertfordshire, vehicle exhausts are responsible for only 1/3 of traffic pollution. The study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, says nearly half of the air pollution from road traffic is down to non-exhaust sources such as brake-wear, road surface-wear, and particles launched into the air from the road by passing vehicles. As a result, Professor Ranjeet Sokhi of the University of Hertfordshire, who led the study, is calling for greater control of non-exhaust pollution. He said, “As exhaust regulations become stricter, non-exhaust sources become proportionately more important. Continuing to control exhaust emissions alone may not be enough to achieve legal air-quality standards.” 06/05/2013: U.S. worker productivity increases as hourly compensation drops The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that American workers increased their productivity in the first quarter of 2013, as hourly compensation fell. They cite a productivity increase of 0.5% at an annual rate during the first quarter of 2013. The increase reflects a 2.1% increase in output and a 1.6% increase in hours worked. Compared with the first quarter of 2012, productivity was up 0.9%. That compares with an average annual gain of 2.3% in the 11 years that ended in 2011, according to Bloomberg News. Meanwhile hourly compensation fell 3.8% in the first quarter of 2013. That decline was the largest in the series, kept since 1947. 06/03/2013: Continued low prices for natural gas -- fall and winter bills expected to dip slightly or remain flat It will cost a bit less or the same for New Jersey residents to heat their homes this fall and winter, a trend driven by continued low natural gas prices. In filings with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, three of the four gas companies in the state said they would lower prices for residential customers from about 3.6 percent to as much as 4.5 percent. The state’s biggest gas utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, said its rates would remain the same. Most customers have seen natural gas prices steadily drop for the past few years, largely due to the discovery of huge new supplies of the fuel in neighboring Pennsylvania and other nearby states.
TRAINING CLASSES!! No classes currently scheduled -- Please check back again soon or call NJGCA to request a class! PLEASE NOTE: FUTURE DATES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 973-376-0066 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!!
MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE
TMP Energy Solutions 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 require12 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 973-376-0066 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.
Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.
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: 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.
THE MEMBER TOOL BOX
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