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November 12, 2015

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:

GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

• New and Urgent Development re: Mandatory Tire Registration; Governor Christie Vetoes Two Bills; NJGCA Victory in Hillsdale Effort to Raise Tobacco Sale Age; Turkey Drive Update and Final Plea for Turkeys!

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS

- NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information, and to submit a resume, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• Are Cigarettes Making a Comeback? Major manufacturers report pack sales on the rise
• New Jersey gas prices rise sharply
• Obama Rejects Keystone XL: Pipeline "would not lower gas prices for American consumers"

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
• Emission Inspector Training Class on Tues, December 8, 2015

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
•Gill Energy: Getting you There!
•Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
•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!

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE

TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

NEW AND URGENT DEVELOPMENT: MANDATORY TIRE REGISTRATION
GOVERNOR CHRISTIE VETOES TWO BILLS
NJGCA VICTORIOUS IN TOBACCO SALE AGE FIGHT IN HILLSDALE
TURKEY DRIVE UPDATE AND FINAL PLEA FOR TURKEYS!

New and Urgent Development: Mandatory Tire Registration -- This is a call to action! This cannot be ignored! I know I have asked you to act before, and because you have, we have gotten this far. NJ has been a leader in blocking mandatory tire registration, and if it was not for NJGCA and our colleagues in Maryland and Texas, this would have been a done deal six (6) months ago. We've been able to block it thus far, but a new development could end our efforts for good if we don't block it now, one more time!!

The House of Representatives recently passed their highway funding bill and, buried among over 100 other amendments, there IS a provision that will require you to manually record the Tire Identification Number from EVERY tire you sell, and then send that registration number (along with contact info belonging to the customer who purchased it from you), to the manufacturer. The penalty to you will be $1,000 per tire if you fail to register the tire properly and completely. Our job now is to persuade the conference committee that will merge the Senate and House versions of this bill to delete the mandatory tire registration segment.

There are two things that we need you to do:

Click HERE to access our VoterVoice tool and send a pre-written letter to your member of Congress. We have multiple messages so you can choose the one that you prefer, all it will take is a few clicks and your letter will automatically be sent. We need you to ask your Representative to persuade their colleagues on the Conference Committee to vote against mandatory tire registration. If our effort fails, this will go to the President for his signature, and he has already proclaimed that he is in favor of mandatory tire registration and that he will sign it.
Click HERE to sign a petition which was started by our colleagues at the Tire Industry of America (TIA).

We need to keep up the constant pressure so that for as long as the Representatives and Senators are debating and discussing the many provisions of the highway funding bill, they are reminded that all of YOU will be burdened and harmed by mandatory tire registration.

Now, I'm moving onto the good news! Of importance to our members, Governor Christie wisely chose to veto two bills this week. One would have permitted a lottery courier service to purchase lottery tickets, for a fee, on the customer's behalf. The other would have increased payouts to the people receiving workers compensation each year based on a cost of living increase determined by inflation rates. This would have surely increased your workers compensation premiums. We appreciate the Governor's action on both of these bills.

On another positive note, Eric and I had our third long, difficult night in Hillsdale in the chamber of the Mayor and Town Council. However, this night came with a reward. We had a resounding victory and successfully defeated an ordinance that would raise the age to sell tobacco from 19 to 21. We were fortunate to recruit two local convenience store owners to join us and support our testimony. Additionally, several councilmen who viciously attacked me at last month's meeting actually stood up and proclaimed that based on our evidence that local businesses would be hurt, they were changing their position and would vote NO on the ordinance!! (Although none of them apologized for their vicious attacks last month)! In the end, the Council voted 4-2 to defeat the measure. This is now the 4th town in which NJGCA has succeeded in blocking legislation that may "feel-good" but accomplishes nothing. Unfortunately, there are 14 other towns that have ignored our pleas and steam-rolled me on their path to prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21.

Finally, I want to update you on our efforts to support the local Food Banks. I saw another news story this week about the desperate need and the shortage. Click here to watch the segment. This is what inspired me to get involved! As of Thursday afternoon, we have donated 90 turkeys to the Food Bank, and we have commitments for 70 more that we are waiting to be delivered! That means that we are about 40 turkeys away from our goal of 200 turkeys by Monday. Please help if you can. I know the most difficult part might be actually traveling to our offices, but wouldn't it be great if you also collected turkeys from your friends, family and neighbors, and then you could come down here with 5 or 10 turkeys, to make it worth the trip! Of course, we are glad to accept any financial contributions in support of this effort if you absolutely can't get turkeys to us. There have been several members who have been extremely generous and I cannot express enough how much I appreciate their generosity.

One final note on this subject -- in last Sunday's homily at the mass I attended in St. Mary’s church, our pastor Monsignor Ken expressed that if every person does a little, then goals can be accomplished. He expressed it with this little anecdote;

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Although I greatly appreciate those of you who have been extremely generous, I will equally appreciate those who will make a difference with just one turkey. IT REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I hope to expand this effort next year to help build good will for your businesses and our industry, but most importantly to meet the needs of those who are less fortunate than we are!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

In order to be licensed as a Motor Vehicle Emission Inspector, you must complete this course and pass a "Written Exam" given by the State of New Jersey. NJGCA offers this training in a ONE DAY State approved training program that will provide an understanding of inspection related issues including EPA Regulations, Safety, Diesel, Customer Service and the New Jersey State Specific Curriculum. This specially tailored NJGCA course fulfills all requirements.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLASS DETAILS:
Class Date: Tuesday, December 08, 2015
Class Location: NJGCA Headquarters -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Twp, NJ 07753
Arrival Time: 7:00am
Lunch Break: 12:00pm (Pizza and soda will be served)
NJMVC Test: 1:00pm

CLASS FEES:
NJGCA Members: $250.00
Non-members: $300.00

Manuals are included and payment is due upon registration. All credit cards are accepted.

License Fee: Bring a $50.00 check made payable to NJMVC to satisfy the State's licensing fee.

PLEASE NOTE: If you live out of state, you must bring 6 points of ID with you, such as a license, passport, healthcare card, utility bill, etc.

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

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

11/9/2015:
Are Cigarettes Making a Comeback? Major manufacturers report pack sales on the rise
Americans appear to be smoking more for the first time more than a decade, according to a new report. A confluence of factors -- from a better jobs market to cheaper gasoline to reductions in government anti-smoking programs -- are driving a months-long pickup in cigarette sales, according to Bloomberg citing analysts reported. If current trends hold, 2015 could mark the first year since 2002 that sales volumes increase. Not even tobacco companies are suggesting the long-term decline in smoking in the US is reversing itself. Indeed, executives predict annual volumes will keep falling over time. But recent data points to a slight increase in pack sales this year. While the number of smokers in the US has steadily declined, some smokers now seem to be lighting up more. Others are turning to chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes to supplement cigarette habits rather than quit, the report said.

11/7/2015:
New Jersey gas prices rise sharply
Motorists are seeing higher prices at the pumps in NJ. AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey last week was $1.98, up 5 cents from last week. But that's much lower than the price from a year ago, when motorists were paying $2.78. The price hike ends a two-week stretch where pump prices had fallen in NJ. The national average price last week was $2.22, up 4 cents from last week. But that's much lower than the national average from a year ago, when motorists were paying $2.96. Analysts say the price increases are due to rising oil prices and seasonal maintenance that has temporarily shuttered some refineries

11/6/2015:
Obama Rejects Keystone XL: Pipeline "would not lower gas prices for American consumers"
The Keystone XL Pipeline would not create enough jobs and "would not lower gas prices for American consumers," President Barack Obama when he rejected the proposed oil pipeline from Canada. "While our politics have been consumed by the debate over whether or not this pipeline would create jobs and lower gas prices, we've gone ahead and created jobs and lowered gas prices. Secretary Kerry informed me that after extensive public outreach and consultation with other cabinet agencies, the State Department has decided that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interests of the US," the president said at the White House. "I agree with that decision." He added, "For years, the Keystone Pipeline has occupied what I, frankly, consider an over-inflated role in our political discourse. It became a symbol too often used as a campaign cudgel by both parties rather than serious policy matter. And all of this obscured the fact that this pipeline would neither be a [magic] bullet for the economy as was promised by some, nor the express lane to climate disaster proclaimed by others."

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.

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three (3) weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are for reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.