December 11, 2009

GREETINGS AND SAL-UTATIONS!

Dear NJGCA Member: 

HITTING A BRICK WALL --- RIGHT TO REPAIR IS IN JEOPARDY!!!

When I think about times when matters take an unexpected turn, I will add these final days of lobbying for Right to Repair legislation among the craziest, and most frustrating.

I have been cris-crossing the state meeting with Senators trying to secure their support for what I had hoped would be a vote on the Senate floor in the first week of January 2010.  In order for this legislation to get to the floor for a vote of the full Senate, the bill must first be passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee.  The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday December 14th, but as I write this, the Chair of the committee, Senator Nia Gill has not yet posted the bill for a vote.

Senator Gill’s inaction is very confusing since she has expressed very strong support for Right to Repair and seemed anxious to get it passed.  Why hasn’t she scheduled a hearing for this bill??  I just don’t know.  Unless I can persuade her to post the bill, Right to Repair is unlikely to be passed in this legislature.  We will have to begin the process all over from the very beginning and that includes having it passed in the Assembly again, even though it was already passed there.

Since we have come so far, much farther than any other state, I am determined not to give up until the very last moment.  It is not over until it is over!  The second session of the 213th NJ legislature ends on January 11, 2010.  The 214th NJ legislature begins on January 12.  That is the deadline.

At this point I am asking each of you to stand by.  Should something change, I will be asking you to run to the phones and computers to contact your Senator, and yes….I will be asking you to join me in Trenton in order to show our strength.

I have been asked to meet with Governor Elect Chris Christie’s Transition Team to discuss the difficulty that small businesses face when dealing with DEP and MVC and Treasury.  I have several suggestions that I believe will both save the state money and help ease the regulatory burden on you.  Our new governor has a rough road ahead, but he has said that he wants to make a better climate for your business to prosper.  Thankfully Governor-elect Christie has reinforced to reporters this past week, that he still has no intention of raising the gas tax.

I will fill you in as I proceed with the new governor.  First I want to run a few things up the flagpole quietly, in order to eliminate the barrage of opponents that will crawl out of the woodwork trying to kill my proposals.

I will write next week with my final message for 2009, as Road Warrior will not be sent during the 2 week Holiday Season.

Thanks for listening - See you next week!

 IN THIS WEEK’S NJGCA ROAD WARRIOR                                    

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

BUSINESS TOOLS: AMERICAN EQUIPMENT FINANCE (AEF), LLC
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NEWS AROUND THE STATE
•Group pushes shift school funding to income taxes
•Dealers band together to sue Exxon Mobil
•Budget Blues: State borrowing grew 700% in two decades
•Funds dwindling for state road projects

 ON THE NJGCA HOMEPAGE                                                           

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 KNOW YOUR TERRITORY MANAGER!                                           

Henry Darden: Territory Manager for Middlesex, Union, Part of Essex (Southern Half)
Cell: 908-247-2992
Email: henry@njgca.org

Jack Leli: Territory Manager for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem
Cell: 732-995-1637
Email: jack@njgca.org

Bob Quirk: Territory Manager for Bergen, Hudson, Part of Essex (Northern Half)
Cell: 201-214-8836
E-mail: bob@njgca.org

Frank Stewart: Territory Manager for Morris, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Passaic
Cell: 973-234-7403
Email: frank@njgca.org
 
Don Stohrer: Territory Manager for Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset
Cell: 732-539-2955
Email: don@njgca.org

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

Ensuring our friends in the legislature are re-elected and advocating for our agenda in Trenton are of utmost importance to the agenda of NJGCA.

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 the shoulders of a few.  This is not fair to them, and it is not fair to many of you who are relying on the benefits of good legislation being passed in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of fundraising for our allies, let’s look back upon the overwhelming successes of the last year:

NJGCA successfully lobbied against BELOW COST SELLING. If approved, BELOW COST SELLING would have cost each of you thousands of dollars and put many of you out of businesses.  NJGCA leaned on some of our friends in the Assembly and literally had the bill pulled off the floor on the day it was scheduled to be voted on.  Our friends in the Legislature helped us get this accomplished.

NJGCA made history and led the charge to pass the most comprehensive protection of franchisees in decades with FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL legislation.  FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL passed only because NJGCA and dealers throughout the state were able to lean on several friends in the Assembly and the Senate.

NJGCA has been rallying support for RIGHT TO REPAIR over the last two years among key legislators.  This would end the practice of car manufacturers denying you the codes necessary to complete the repairs you make on your customers cars.  Every state has tried to pass RIGHT TO REPAIR and no state has even been able to get the legislation out of committee.   Because of our friends in the Legislature, NJGCA has been successful in getting this bill passed by the Assembly and now awaits a vote in the Senate.

I am asking some of you as individuals to make a contribution and attend a fundraising event sponsored by one of our friends in the Assembly.

However, we will not be able to host events for all of our friends, so the NJGCA PAC will have to make contributions.  You will be receiving letters soon from the NJGCA PAC asking you to make contributions. 

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
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
Please make your check 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.

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Contact Len Baccaro at (908) 542-9330 or email him at www.aefllc.com 

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

12/10/2009:
Group pushes shift school funding to income taxes
The NJ State League of Municipalities, a group which represents the interests of local governments throughout the state, has floated a proposal to shift the burden of funding schools from local property taxes to income taxes.  Since the vast majority of local property taxes go to fund schools, supporters of the plan believe it would be a more “fair” way to support public schools, while critics believe that income taxes are not stable enough to base school funding on.

12/10/2009:
Dealers band together to sue Exxon Mobil
A group of dealers from several states, include 24 from New Jersey, have banded together to sue Exxon Mobil for violating franchise rights agreements.  Specifically the dealers accuse Exxon of delaying gasoline deliveries when prices were rising and making it difficult to remain viable by increasing their leases once they expire.

12/3/2009:
Budget Blues: State borrowing grew 700% in two decades
Poor spending habits in Trenton, and approved by the voters, have driven up state borrowing by 700% in the last ten years.  As of this year the state debt is $33.9 billion or approximately $3,600 of borrowing for every state resident.

12/3/2009:
Funds dwindling for state road projects
With the state’s Transportation Trust Fund quickly running out of money, transportation experts believe the state may have no choice but to halt road projects next year.  Analysts believe more borrowing or an increase in the gas tax are needed in order to keep the fund solvent.

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