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NJGCA Networking Event: Final Call to Register!
MBP Spotlight: SSVE
Happy Father’s Day!
Menthol Ban
On Thursday morning the Senate Health Committee had a hearing on the bill that would ban the sale of menthol cigarettes in New Jersey. NJGCA is among the many testifying against it. You can read that testimony HERE. We sent an alert to those whose specific state senators are on the committee, and thank you to those who took action. Just a reminder that it is extremely helpful for you to send these emails. They do make an impact, especially on issues like this, and it only takes a few seconds to send. We expect the bill to pass committee, but we are hopeful that it will not move forward after that. The federal government is still planning to ban menthol cigarettes for the entire country, which is expected to take effect in about a year. New York recently considered banning menthols but decided against it and Pennsylvania isn’t even considering enacting such a ban. This would be a big problem in New Jersey if it passes, especially given the failures of the flavor vape ban.
Credit Card Competition Act Introduced
Good news from last week: the Credit Card Competition Act was introduced in Congress with a big group of bipartisan sponsors. We and our national allies have been pushing for this legislation for over a decade, and works by injecting competition into the credit card interchange market to bring fees down for all retailers. One of the co-sponsors was New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew from South Jersey. Check your inboxes for an Action Alert directing you to contact your members of Congress and ask them to also join on as a co-sponsor. As you know credit card fees are the second largest expense that businesses like ours have nowadays, the more support we are able to show the better chances we have of success.
Right to Repair
The Biden Administration on Wednesday seemed to screw up the fight for vehicle repair access. Just as the Massachusetts law passed in 2020 was finally set to take effect, which would have required auto manufacturers to make access to their vehicles’ telematics data available to independent repairers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a letter telling manufacturers not to comply with the state law. They claim that allowing for this access would let hackers sabotage cars while they are on the road, and that therefore, federal safety law preempts state law. This is a surprising statement, since otherwise the Administration has been publicly supportive of Right to Repair laws, including for autos, and their Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said there is no evidence of these scare tactics from the manufacturers, but now it seems the NHTSA has bought into the manufacturers’ propaganda. Many cybersecurity experts also disagree with this concern. You can read more details HERE, but obviously this is very concerning regarding our own future efforts to fight for Right to Repair in NJ.
Delta-8 Ban Update
Last week we mentioned a potential ban on Delta-8 products that was coming. On Monday the bill passed through another committee, so it looks like this will be on governor’s desk in about two weeks, where he will likely sign the bill, and it will take effect the moment he signs it. Bear this in mind, in case you are or have thought of selling any of these products. Once the ban goes into effect, selling these products will effectively make you a drug dealer and you likely won’t be able to return the product to where it came from. We will be sure to let you know when it goes into effect so you can quickly remove the product.
Social Media
For those of you with social media accounts, we wanted to send another reminder to follow us on the platforms you use. Besides sending out relevant news and items to bring to your attention, we want to use our accounts to amplify and expand your own promotions or discounts. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin on your personal and business accounts. If you personally don’t have social media, ask your employees and family members and help our network grow, and feel free to ask us to share content for you!
NJGCA Networking Event – Join Us
Last call to register! **Registration closes on Monday morning.**
We are hosting a fun networking event for our members on ThursdayJune 22nd from 5 to 7 PM at Tommy’s Tavern and Tap in Clifton for our members to get together, have some drinks and good food and meet some of the MBPs in our program. We would like to make more of an effort post-pandemic to get our members together to socialize, have some fun, and talk with fellow folks in the industry. Bring your employees, spouse, or even a nonmember colleague and show them the value of belonging to an industry association. Are you interested in attending? Register TODAY here! We also are offering opportunities to sponsor the event, if you are interested email Joe@njgca.org.
MBP Spotlight: SSVE
Our MBP SSVE have been strong supporters of the association for many years. If you’re looking to generate some extra dollars out of your facility, consider giving him a call!
SELF SERVICE REVENUE PRODUCING PRODUCTS: Service Station Vending Equipment (SSVE) was founded in 1983, and we recently celebrated our 30 year anniversary of service to the gasoline industry. We have never lost sight of what is important to YOU. We offer the highest level of service in the industry. Our loyal, dedicated, hardworking technicians average 15 years of service. We presently service thousands of retailers of all sizes. NJGCA Members ONLY discounts applied.
Finally, happy Father’s Day to our members that have taken on the ultimate task. Whether you are celebrating yourself or honoring someone else in your life, we hope you have a great day.
All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 615 Hope Road, Building 2, 1st Floor, Eatontown, NJ 07724
ASE Training Course - Reach Out Today!
Are you (or an employee) getting ready to take your A6, A8, or L1 in preparation to recertifying your Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through the State's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP)?
We can help --- but we need to hear from you, first! NJGCA wants to hear from students interested in our ASE-prep training program, so we can gauge demand and schedule our next session series.
As you know, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has always maintained a "dual-track" system to allow technicians to earn their Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through New Jersey's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP). In doing so, technicians were allowed to certify as ERTs through either an ASE-test track or an ETEP-educational class track. Starting on January 1, 2020, NJDEP amended the ETEP criteria, and the ETEP-educational class track was abolished.
Today, only the ASE-test track remains, and all ERTs must certify or re-certify their credentials though ASE to remain in the Program.
NJGCA has recently offered an ASE-prep class to help you get ready for the A6, A8, and L1. In doing so, students were welcome to participate in a ten-session preparatory class that covered material for all three ASE exams. We also had a handful of students who joined us only for the A8 or L1 sections.
Once completed, students took their ASE exams with a local ASE-approved test proctor (NJGCA can train you to prepare for the ASE exams, but are not permitted to offer the actual exam - students must make these arrangements individually themselves).
Building on that success, we are now seeking student participation in our next training series session. To make arrangements and organize a session, we need to hear from you!
Stellantis recently warned auto dealers that “we may be compelled to allocate fewer conventional gasoline engine vehicles to California states,” including New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Maryland, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Virginia and New Mexico. “In some circumstances, we may be compelled to allocate more electrified powertrain vehicles to California states” to “comply with the more stringent standards being enforced in the California States,” the Stellantis memo says. A Delaware dealer told the Delaware Business Times that Stellantis said he won’t receive regular shipments of popular Jeep gas-powered models because his state has adopted California’s emissions standards. But Stellantis will make available electric SUV models that are $20,000 more expensive. California last year required that electric vehicles make up 35% of auto-maker sales in 2026, 68% in 2030 and 100% by 2035. EVs made up 19% of California sales last year, but two-thirds or so were Teslas. Auto makers that fall short of California’s benchmarks will have to buy regulatory credits from Tesla and other EV makers.
Bipartisan legislation addressing swipe fees was introduced yesterday in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives with the goal of creating choice for retailers when processing credit card purchases. The Credit Card Competition Act seeks to bring competition to the credit card market and addresses the exorbitant swipe fees paid by retailers every year. . . Both bills would require the largest U.S. banks that issue Visa or Mastercard credit cards to allow transactions to be processed over at least two unaffiliated card payment networks—the same process that has been used for debit card transactions for more than a decade. The proposed legislation only applies to banks with more than $100 billion in assets, exempting the vast majority of banks and credit unions in the United States, including community banks and other small and mid-sized regional banks.
There is a push across the U.S. to speed up electric-vehicle charging, reports The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. government is attempting to ignite the buildout of fast chargers that can charge EVs in about 15 to 40 minutes, and automakers are attempting to improve EV batteries to increase charging times, as the EV industry believes that super-fast charging is needed for widespread EV adoption. Experts believe that fast charging will mitigate range anxiety in consumers. However, other experts argue that the key to EV adoption is slower chargers, but more of them, in places where people park for longer, such as offices, restaurants, shops and apartments.
At least three gas stations in North Jersey were part of a connected plot to rob each one early Tuesday, police said. At 2:11 a.m., a man at the Bloomfield Avenue Exxon in Montclair was allegedly approached by three masked men, and one grabbed him by the neck while another threatened him with a silver handgun. The trio went into the man's pockets and stole approximately $120, police said.
The Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) welcomed a new estimate showing that passage of the Credit Card Competition Act would save merchants and their customers at least $15 billion a year. NACS is a founding member of MPC. “As swipe fees go up each year, the amount that would be saved by bringing competition to these out-of-control fees goes up with it,” said Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel and MPC executive committee member, in a statement. “We have the highest swipe fees in the industrialized world, and the amount of relief that could be provided to small businesses and consumers struggling to cope with still-high inflation is enormous. All Congress has to do is tell the card networks and megabanks ‘enough is enough.’”
Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.
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