February 27, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

Last week, we sent out an action alert to encourage your representatives in the NJ Assembly to vote YES on a bill that would ensure that retailers are not held responsible for any costs or fees associated with rewards programs and discounts developed by the brands. The bill passed 70-0. However, don't be fooled by the numbers. I won't go into the details, but our opponents mounted a strong effort to see that the bill did NOT get voted on. We had to aggressively counter this action, and along with our friends at FMANJ, we scored a huge victory. If you recall the results of the Senate voting session in early February, not one legislator (in either House) voted against this bill. Again, this was not a sure thing, and it took much dedication and hard work to get where we are now.

You are soon going to be receiving another action alert from me, to thank the legislators for standing up to the opposition and fighting for the best interests of YOU, the small business owner. It is important to express our gratitude and remind them that even though the bill is on the Governor's desk, the fight is not yet over. Eric and I met with Counsel from Governor Christie's Office yesterday to begin the process of getting the Governor to understand the value and importance of this bill. We are near goal line, but it will take another strong push to get this legislation signed into law. Stay tuned!

On Tuesday, Governor Christie submitted his State Budget to the Legislature. Two issues that I spend an enormous amount of time on (gas tax and motor vehicle inspections) also have serious budget implications. However, to the surprise of everyone gathered in Trenton, the Governor's speech lasted less than 30 minutes, and he referenced NOTHING of consequence, other than his plans to deal with state pensions and benefits. A stunned Legislature, media and fellow lobbyists were dumbfounded that not one syllable was mentioned, at all, about the brick wall that we are all about to run into on July 1, 2015. To further complicate matters, on Monday, the day before the Governor's budget speech, a NJ Superior Court ruled that the way Governor Christie has been handling pension matters is illegal, which could leave an additional $1.6 billion gaping hole in the State budget.

Despite the urgency of the situation, the Governor has still not addressed the quickly-depleting Transportation Trust Fund and his plans to raise revenue to support our infrastructure needs. As you all know, there is a real possibility that the solution that is eventually proposed could be a sales tax on gasoline. We fight against that proposal on a daily basis. Just this week we learned that another state, Georgia this time, is considering a proposal to stop collecting sales tax on gasoline and instead collect a flat excise tax. According to THIS news article, Georgia residents currently pay a 4% sales tax at the pump plus a 7.5 cent excise tax. The new bill will eliminate sales tax and instead rely on a 29.2 cent excise tax, a charge that is a fixed rate, no matter the rest of the price for gas. We continue to use anecdotes such as this one to bolster our argument and encourage Legislators and the Governor to consider the many other options that are on the table.

Additionally, in light of the severe financial crisis that our State faces, it still surprises me that Governor Christie, who I know personally favors privatizing Motor Vehicle Inspections, has not pulled the trigger on this proposal, to save the State $43 million a year by requiring all Motor Vehicle inspections be performed in YOUR shops. We continue to lobby the Governor to see the vast benefits of a completely privatized inspection system.

While I'm on the subject of motor vehicle inspections, I want to address safety inspections. The issue of safety inspections will never go away, because it is so important to all of my members with repair shops. However, I can also say that safety inspections are unlikely to ever come back. In THIS article, I saw that yet another state, Mississippi, is considering a proposal to eliminate safety inspections. The states continue to rely on the same data that NJ did, which says that states with mandatory safety inspections DO NOT have less accidents or fatalities than states that do not require safety inspections.

Now, for my Lottery Agents, I have written in the past warning you about the Lottery Commission crackdown on those of you who cash winning tickets under YOUR name (keeping a percentage for yourself), as a service to your customers who don't want the state to know about their winnings. The reason for the crackdown is simple... This scheme presents benefits for both parties involved, and therefore there is much temptation to break the law in this manner and commit this fraud. Lottery players who win more than $600 are subject to forfeiting their winnings if they are delinquent in any taxes to the state or are in arrears with child support and any such judgments against them. Lottery winners get around this by having YOU, the agent, submit the winning ticket as if YOU purchased the ticket, and were the winner. Some even go to the extent of submitting winning lottery tickets in the names of people who are deceased, as discussed in this news article. The problem is large enough that the Lottery Commission is taking a heavy hand with agents who violate these rules. Lottery officials were in my office last week to discuss this and other issues that affect you as lottery agents. I will keep you updated and forewarned about what the lottery commission is doing.

As you know, over the past two years NJGCA has worked with key legislators to introduce legislation that would force major credit card companies to compete with each other and lower the rates that you have to pay for accepting their cards. Bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate, and we have been making the rounds, visiting legislators, and explaining to them how Visa, MasterCard and American Express do not compete for your business. They have a take it or leave it policy... you pay their rates or do not accept their cards. A federal judge has declared, in a ruling against American Express, that part of his decision was based on the obvious lack of competition that exists in the credit card marketplace. You can read an update on the judge's ruling HERE. I will use this ruling as evidence to bolster our case as I continue to advocate on this issue.

Finally, I have been including information about the NJ Generator Grant Program in most of my communications with you this year. As you know, we have formed a strong partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. This week, we collaborated on a reminder letter to all stations that meet the eligibility criteria (must sell diesel and must have 18,000+ gallons of gasoline storage capacity). The letters were mailed yesterday so you can expect to be receiving them shortly. You can view the letter online, here. The application period ends March 31, and applications are being considered on a first come, first served basis, so act quickly if you are interested. With any questions or concerns, please contact Jacy at 973-376-0066 or at jacy@njgca.org.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

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

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!!

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02/26/2015:
Christie defends silence on TTF, says it's "not in crisis at the moment"
Gov. Chris Christie took to the radio Wed. night and defended his decision to omit the state's TTF from his annual budget address this week, saying it was "not something to rush on, or rush through." The TTF money maintains NJ's 6,500 bridges and 39,000 miles of public roadways. Fueled by gas taxes, it is running on fumes and will run out of money by June 2015. How to replenish the fund is still TBD, with Christie saying an unpopular gas tax hike is on still "on the table" for discussion with the Democratic-controlled legislature. But speaking on his NJ 101.5 radio call-in show, he said he was in no hurry. "It's an important decision that needs to be made," Christie said, "I'm hopeful that the Senate president and the (Assembly) Speaker and I will be able to come to a resolution sooner rather than later, but, you know, again, it's not a crisis at the moment, because we're funded pretty well now."

02/20/2015:
Rising gas prices in NJ give edge to privately owned gas stations
Despite a consistent rise in gas prices throughout the state and country in the past few weeks, drivers in South Jersey can still find gasoline for under $2 per gallon. The average price for regular unleaded gasoline has increased every day since Jan. 27 throughout the state and country for a total of 22 cents per gallon over 23 days, according to AAA South Jersey. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in South Jersey is $2.07 and $2.26 nationally. And for privately-owned gas stations, being able to set their own prices like any retail store owner -- unlike corporately-owned companies -- can offer an edge. At a Riggins gas station on Route 42 and Greentree, in Washington Township, a gallon of regular unleaded cash was $1.92 -- 27 cents cheaper than a gallon of regular unleaded at an Exxon station in Sewell. Riggins is one of the largest privately-owned companies in New Jersey, according to its website.

02/20/2015:
Most still opposed to hike in N.J. gas tax, poll says
A majority of New Jerseyans remain opposed to a hike in the gas tax, but opposition softens somewhat if the issue is raised in a slightly different way, according to the results of a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The statewide poll of 813 residents, carried out in early February in English or Spanish depending on respondents' preference, found that 54% of New Jerseyans don't want to pay more in gas taxes, while 42% would like to see an increase. The results of this poll, which has a margin of error of 4.1%, were virtually unchanged from a similar poll in December. When those same residents were informed that NJ's gas tax is the third-lowest in the nation and then asked the question again, support rose by just 5%, or barely outside the margin of error. But that overall result masks dramatic shifts among the most strongly opposed when asked the question without reference to the relatively low tax NJ motorists pay now. For Republicans, the percent who would be comfortable paying more at the pump rises from 29% to 44%. Support among men -- another group otherwise strongly opposed to a higher tax -- rises from 36% to 47% when the question includes information about the size of NJ's tax relative to other states'.

02/20/2015:
Did Christie's speech signal he won't support gas tax hike?
Days before he delivered his latest state budget address, Gov. Chris Christie stressed in a speech that he would continue to oppose any efforts to hike taxes in NJ. But does that mean he won't support increasing the state's gas tax, a move Democratic state lawmakers say is necessary to pay for NJ's crumbling roads and bridges? The Republican governor didn't specifically say so during the speech before the NJ Chamber of Commerce at a Washington hotel, and his office did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Still, some Democrats said that's the impression they got. "One could walk away making that educated guess," state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said today. "My guess is he has access to a money tree in someone's basement that can produce dollars for the TTF." NJ's TTF, which pays for the state's aging roads, bridges, and mass transit projects, is virtually broke, and state lawmakers have made it their top priority so far this year. Democrats have repeatedly said that raising the gas tax is inevitable.

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.
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
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
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.

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

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