MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE
UPDATE ON TAIL PIPE TEST EQUIPMENT
ETEP RE-CERT DAY AND NIGHT CLASSES START NEXT WEEK!
C-STORE ISSUES: TOBACCO PURCHASE AGE AND PLASTIC BAG TAX
FREE BREAKFAST MEETING IN SOUTH JERSEY -- TURNERSVILLE -- ON JUNE 8, 2016

I need to start this week with my traditional Memorial Day message, since that somehow got left out of last week's (very lengthy) message. I truly believe that everytime we have an opportunity to celebrate the greatness of our nation, we must also remember and reflect upon the sacrifices that were made for our freedoms.  From the days that the first shots were fired in the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord, we have owed a debt to fallen soldiers -- a debt that is impossible to ever repay.  Of course, since the Revolutionary War there have been many other soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain the freedom that the original patriots sought.  ALL should be remembered. With that being said, I hope that you had the opportunity to get away from the business for a day and enjoy the beautiful weather with your family.
 
Now, back to business -- We have been talking a lot about the tailpipe test equipment that PIFs use to test emissions on older vehicles. I sent multiple messages to members, advising them to save $210 by calling SGS and cancelling the maintenance on their tail pipe test equipment. After each email, I had members calling me to inform me of new possibilities and new implications that stemmed from their conversations with SGS. I got an email from SGS on Friday afternoon clarifying that once the maintenance on the tailpipe test equipment is cancelled, the tailpipe test equipment will be inoperable. This is not what I was told would happen, and I explained to SGS in very simple, clear, and terse terms that I completely disagree with the decision that they have made, and I am not very happy with them at all.
 
My position all along has been that by paying $2,700 back in 2009 to purchase the tailpipe test equipment, you got the right to use the equipment because you own it. The maintenance fee that you pay each month gives you the right to have the tail pipe test equipment serviced. They should be two different things. SGS/Parsons has no right to keep you from using the tailpipe test equipment, even if it is only for two months, when the equipment should still be operable. There is no technical reason for the tail pipe test equipment to stop working, since the it functions through the OBD workstation. As long as the workstation is in place, the tailpipe test equipment is still operable, unless deliberately over-ridden by SGS. However, once the new emissions inspection program and equipment are introduced (who knows when that will be), the entire work- station will become obsolete.
 
Yesterday, another member called my office after they tried to cancel their maintenance, and I sent another far more angry and terse email to SGS.  Within minutes, I received a phone call from someone further up the food chain at SGS, and then several hours later I received another email informing me that even if the maintenance is cancelled, the tailpipe test equipment will remain functional through June and July so that you can still perform any stray re-inspections that may wander into your shops. On August 1, there will be no more tailpipe tests for any reason. Again, I encourage you to cancel the maintenance on your tailpipe equipment, but the decision is yours.

I wanted to take this opportunity to inform anyone that needs to renew their Emission Repair Technician (ERT) license before June 30th that we are having classes at NJGCA headquarters during the DAY and EVENING in order to be as flexible as possible and meet the demand.  Our evening class is Mon. and Weds., and starts on Monday June 6, from 6-10PM for 4 weeks. The DAY class is Tuesdays, starting on June 7th, for 4 weeks. You can click HERE for the registration form to fill out and fax back to the office so that we can reserve your spot!
 
Two short updates for those of you with convenience stores: legislation to raise the age to purchase tobacco to 21 years old passed the entire Senate last week, by a vote of 23 to 14.  The bill has to go through another committee in the Assembly before it goes in front of the entire General Assembly for a vote, which would then send it to the Governor's desk.
 
Second, I spoke briefly recently about recycling: we discussed the "Smart Container Act" which would turn your retail locations into recycling collection centers, and we also discussed the plastic bag tax.  Right now we are working hard to keep both of those pieces of legislation bottled up (no pun intended).  While we would ultimately like to see both pieces of legislation get blocked, both bills may end up as part of a compromise deal which aims to minimize your exposure and reduce the burden as much as possible.  There continue to be many moving pieces in this particular chess game, and I will keep you updated.  
 
Finally, for all of my members in the south and southwest corner of the State, we are doing our best to get to you! We will be in Turnersville on Wednesday, June 8 at the Whitman Diner (4990 Rt 42) at 9:30 AM.  We make every effort to get to all parts of the State to visit our members face to face, answer questions, and inform you about what's going on in the industry and in the Association. Remember, this is a FREE breakfast for you, too!  Please mark this on your calendar and try to join us.  It may be a while before we make it down there again! You can RSVP directly to this email or call Jacy at 732-256-9646.

Thanks for reading -- See you all next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

06/01/2016:
Christie: Concept of Transportation Trust Fund is 'obsolete'
With the state TTF nearly out of cash and few signs of progress in the Legislature, Gov. Christie said that he was loath to back an increase in the state’s gasoline tax and said lawmakers should seriously consider a plan built around general-fund spending.  The Governor offered some supportive words for a proposal offered by state Sen. Jennifer Beck, a Monmouth County Republican. Beck has called for consolidating transportation agencies, implementing cuts to public worker health benefits and tapping revenues from various sources to produce enough money for a new, $1.6 billion trust fund -- all with no tax increase. Beck said her proposal is feasible and even some of its most ambitious components, like putting state agencies under one roof, could be done in a few years. Democrats and advocates for infrastructure spending, though, have said Beck’s plan is merely pie in the sky thinking that does little to solve the immediate problem facing policymakers. Christie said the plan “deserves some merit and some study.” It would be heavily reliant on the ups and downs of the state’s economy. The primary source of revenue for the general fund is the income tax, the state’s most volatile. It’s one reason the treasury’s initial revenue projections were off by about $1 billion for the current and next fiscal year.
 
6/1/2016:
Christie to Dems on fixing N.J. road fund: Where's your plan?
As the clock winds down on TTF funding, and Atlantic City's financial collapse averted for the time being, Gov. Christie said he expects the NJ Legislature is ready to turn its attention to finding money for road, bridge and rail improvements in the state. "Often the Legislature can't do more than one meaningful thing at a time," Christie said at a news conference promoting charter schools. "We finished Atlantic City on Friday, then there was a holiday weekend. And I suspect that they're going to get to work now on the TTF." The governor has said it's up to the Democratic-controlled Legislature to present a funding scheme for the fund, which is scheduled to run out of money this summer. Christie's proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 doesn't identify a source of funding for the TTF, which pays for statewide infrastructure projects. Democratic lawmakers have set their sights on an increase in the state's gasoline tax that, along with borrowing, would replenish the fund for several years, but Assembly and Senate leaders have yet to agree on a formal plan. "All I've heard from Democrats is that they want to raise the gas tax. Well, if they want to they should go on record and propose a bill raising the gas tax," Christie said. "Haven't seen that yet, have we? Governor can't do that, can't raise the gas tax on my own even if I wanted to. Not inclined to, but even if I wanted to, I couldn't."
 
05/31/2016:
Competing ads aim to sway NJ voters on gas tax
One advertisement shows the Interstate 35 bridge falling into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, and warns viewers that a span in New Jersey might be next. An opposing advertisement shows a father stealing things from his kids, including the family dog, Sparky, to pay for a gas tax increase. “Save Sparky!” the ad’s announcer says. “Tell Trenton to say no to a crazy new gas tax.” The spots are part of a growing advertising fight over the Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for major construction projects on the state’s roads, bridges and trains. The fight is likely to grow louder in the next few weeks as the collective attention of state legislators and Governor Christie pivots from Atlantic City’s financial crisis to the looming deadline of the fund, which is unfunded after June 30 and will run out of cash in August, Christie officials say. Democrats in the Legislature, led by Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, have proposed a gas tax increase to raise an additional $2 billion a year in revenue, offset by other tax cuts. Republicans, including Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, have countered by opposing any gas tax increase, and proposing instead to raise $1.7 billion a year by cutting health benefits for public employees and merging all of New Jersey’s transportation agencies into a single department.