July 02, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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

VICTORY, FOR NOW, ON THE PAID SICK LEAVE BATTLEFIELD
FEDERAL OVERTIME ELIGIBILITY SET TO EXPAND GREATLY
MANDATORY TIRE REGISTRATION REMOVED FROM LESIGLATION
PAUSE AND REFLECT: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Nothing makes me happier than starting my Road Warrior with great news!! So, here it is -- remember that pesky piece of legislation which would mandate employers to provide paid sick leave to all their employees (even part-time ones), and add to the already burdensome regulatory and recordkeeping requirements imposed on small businesses? Well, I'm thrilled to be able to say that the bill was NOT voted on in the Senate, as it was scheduled. We were victorious in this battle, thanks to YOUR efforts and the efforts of many other small business owners in this coalition, but the war still wages on.  I believe that it will be back up for a vote in the Senate (and this may happen sooner rather than later), and we are going to have to defend this issue for a long time to come, but it is a worthy fight.  So, I just want to again, say THANK YOU.  When we send out our Action Alerts, and you all respond the way you do, it is very, very helpful.  We could not have achieved our victory without YOUR participation and the participation of other business owners just like you!  I have attached a copy of the coalition letter sent to all members of the Senate encouraging them to vote NO on paid family leave. CLICK HERE to read it.
 
One issue where we may not have the success we had hoped for is federal overtime eligibility regulations. A report this week indicated that President Obama intends to, "more than double the salary level under which virtually all workers qualify for overtime pay whenever they work more than 40 hours in any given week. That threshold, now $23,660, would rise to $50,440, a number that would encompass many workers now classified as managers -- and would increase automatically in future years."  This is a startling and frightening proposal, and will no doubt have repercussions in our industry. As the government continues to add to the restrictions and regulations of the way YOU run your small business and handle your employees, I have to ask, isn't self-serve looking better and better?

I will end with a final note of good news regarding the mandatory tire registration issue that we have been discussing in Washington, DC.  This week, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee unanimously approved its 6-year highway bill, the DRIVE Act: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy, by vote of 20-0.  This legislation will fund the highways for the next six years (it is not a temporary patch) and it DOES NOT contain any language for mandatory tire registration!! While the legislation still faces a few hurdles before going to the President's desk for his signature, I remain confident that we will get this accomplished.
 
Finally, I want to include a message about the very special holiday upon us: the Fourth of July.  I encourage you to pause and reflect on the meaning of this holiday -- Whether you realize it or not, your personal success as a small business owner is directly tied to the Fourth of July.  Think about it: Our Founding Fathers not only established a new nation dedicated to individual liberty, but also created a free-market system that is the envy of the world.  In doing so, they guaranteed that the entrepreneurial spirit would thrive, competition would spread, and every person could be the master of their own occupational destiny.  It is these principals which allows your business to flourish! So this weekend while you’re chomping on a burger, tossing around a Frisbee or just relaxing in a hammock, take a few moments to consider all of this and count your blessings!
 
That's all for now!  Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

Emissions Inspector Class being offered in Wall Township (Monmouth County) on Wednesday, August 19, 2015!! Click HERE for Class Info and Registration Form!

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ETEP Re-Cert, Sections 8, 9 and 10 being offered in NORTH and SOUTH Jersey -- DAY and EVENING Classes Available!

For Class Informational Flyer, please click here.
For Class Registration Form, please click here.

FUTURE CLASSES 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!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS 

NJGCA Member with HUGE Auto Repair Building for Lease!!
     - Over 3,000 sq. ft., includes lifts and some equipment
    - Separate Offices and Customer Waiting Area
Location: Hackettstown, NJ (just one block off Route 46)
    - Located on busy roadway, plenty of parking & easy access!
Asking Price: $4,000/month (term of lease is flexible)
CONTACT SUSAN - 862-432-2179

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

07/02/2015:
BP Agrees to Settle Gulf Oil Spill Claims for $18.7 Billion
BP has reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice and attorneys general of several states and about 400 local governments to settle federal, state and local 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims for up to $18.7 billion, with payments to be spread over 18 years. BP Exploration & Production Inc. (BPXP) is to pay the US a civil penalty of $5.5 billion under the Clean Water Act (CWA), payable over 15 years. It will pay $7.1 billion to the US and the five Gulf states -- Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas -- over 15 years for natural resource damages (NRD). This is in addition to the $1 billion already committed for early restoration. BPXP will also set aside an additional amount of $232 million to be added to the NRD interest payment at the end of the payment period to cover any further natural resource damages that are unknown at the time of the agreement. BPXP will pay a total of $4.9 billion over 18 years to settle economic and other claims made by the five Gulf Coast states. And it will pay up to $1 billion to resolve claims made by more than 400 local government entities.
 
07/01/15
Pa. Legislature Opens Door for C-Stores to Sell Beer, Liquor
For the first time in state history, Pennsylvania General Assembly approved legislation to privatize the state liquor system. The bill won approval 27-22. The House then approved the bill 113 to 82. The House has twice before approved a liquor divestiture bill--once earlier this year, but the Senate has not done so. Under the Republican-crafted bill, state stores would be phased out and the wholesale system would be leased to private interests. Proponents are counting on the liquor bill to produce $220 million in annual revenue for the state budget, said the report. The legislation allows for direct shipment of wine from other states. The bill goes to Governor Tom Wolf (D), who has not indicated whether he will sign it or veto it, the report said.

06/30/2015:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Works Globally to Fight Antismoking Measures
A parliamentary hearing was convened in Kiev, Ukraine in March to consider an odd remnant of Ukraine’s corrupt, pre-revolutionary government. Three years ago, Ukraine filed an international legal challenge against Australia, over Australia’s right to enact antismoking laws on its own soil. To a number of lawmakers, the case seemed absurd, and they wanted to investigate why it was even being pursued.  When it came time to defend the tobacco industry, a man named Taras Kachka spoke up. He argued that several 'fantastic tobacco companies' had bought Soviet-era factories and modernized them, and now they were exporting tobacco to many other countries. It was in Ukraine’s national interest, he said, to support investors in the country, even though they do not sell tobacco to Australia.  Mr. Kachka was not a tobacco lobbyist or farmer or factory owner. He was the head of a Ukrainian affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, America’s largest trade group.  From Ukraine to Uruguay, Moldova to the Philippines, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its foreign affiliates have become the hammer for the tobacco industry, engaging in a worldwide effort to fight antismoking laws of all kinds, according to interviews with government ministers, lobbyists, lawmakers and public health groups in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.

06/26/2015:
DC Considers Taxing E-Cig Stores Out of Business
Sean Robinson, owner of the District Vape electronic cigarette store in Washington, D.C., chuckles as he talks about his “cigarette graveyard”: a shelf near the front of the store holding a small mountain of Newports, Camels and other old cigarette packs discarded by customers who quit smoking after buying vaping gear. The shelf is a promotion -- customers who publicly give up their cigarettes get $5 off a store purchase. But Robinson said it’s also meant to convey a personal message.  He and his five employees at District Vape are all ex-smokers who turned to e-cigarettes to help them quit.  Those employees also might be soon out of their jobs due to a new tax being contemplated by the DC city council.  The tax could treat e-cigarettes like tobacco-burning cigarettes, despite the fact that vaping products contain no actual tobacco -- just a nicotine-infused “juice” that is turned into water vapor instead of smoke.  While a debate still burns in the public health community about just how much e-cigs help smokers kick the habit, the DC city council is poised to end the argument early.  On June 30, the council is set to vote on a budget amendment that would slap a 70% excise tax on e-cigs and related vaping products, a move that will likely drive District Vape and several other small independent stores in the city out of business.

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 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.