March 17, 2009 

FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL PASSES IN THE SENATE!!
Bill must now be passed by the Assembly before
heading to the Governor's Desk.



Executive Director Sal Risalvato addresses the assembled retailers before lobbying
Senators to support First Right of Refusal. The day-long effort was ultimately
successful as S-2553 passed by a 30-3 margin.

In a victory for small business lessee dealers, S-2553 – our First Right to Refusal legislation – was passed by the State Senate by a 30-3 vote yesterday!

The passage of First Right of Refusal is an incredibly significant event.  The final tally clearly illustrates that we were successful in delivering our message and concerns to the Senate.  Only 3 Senators voted against us and 7 were either absent from the roll-call vote or abstained.  That's a substantial margin of victory for lessee dealers! You should be proud!

When ultimately signed by Governor Corzine, this bill will give small business Lessees the opportunity to purchase their locations and prevent Big Oil from pulling the rug out from under them!

I would like to personally THANK YOU for helping to make this victory possible.  I was incredibly proud of all the lessees who showed up in Trenton yesterday to fight for your business and other retailers.  It is truly a testament to what small business owners can do when they band together to fight for a common cause.

I would also like to thank UDNJ - and all our coalition partners - for their contributions in getting this legislation passed in the Senate.  You are all invaluable members in this fight and I appreciate all your efforts.

As great as yesterday’s victory was, however, there is still much work to be done. We aren’t out of the woods yet!!  We still need to get this bill passed in the Assembly before it heads to Governor Corzine’s desk for his signature.

Unfortunately, it may be well into May before we see action in the Assembly.  As of today, the Legislature is on their Budget Break – a period in which nearly every legislative action will be focused on next year’s budget.

Nevertheless, even if the Assembly isn’t in session, it doesn’t mean we stop pushing for First Right of Refusal on our end!  We are going to keep it on the radar, but we need your help!

Look for new instructions in the coming weeks as we proceed. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, below is a list of Legislators who voted in favor of this important legislation.  Please click HERE to find their contact info, then take a moment and call these Senators and THANK THEM for their vote! 

Senator Baroni (14^th District-Mercer County)

Senator Beach (6^th District-Camden County)

Senator Beck (12^th District-Monmouth, Mercer Counties)

Senator Bucco (25^th District-Morris County)

Senator Buono (18^th District-Middlesex County)

Senator Cardinale (39^th District-Bergen County)

Senator Codey (27^th District-Essex County)

Senator Connors (9^th District-Ocean, Burlington Counties)

Senator Cunningham (31^st District-Hudson County)

Senator Gill (34^th District-Essex, Passaic Counties)

Senator Girgenti (35^th District-Passaic County)

Senator Haines (8^th District-Burlington County)

Senator Karrow (23^rd District-Hunterdon, Warren Counties)

Senator T. Kean (21^st District-Union, Morris, Essex, Somerset Counties)

Senator S. Kean (11^th District-Monmouth County)

Senator Kyrillos (13^th District-Monmouth County)

Senator O’Toole (40^th District-Bergen, Essex, Passaic Counties)

Senator Pennacchio (26^th District-Morris, Passaic Counties)

Senator Redd (5^th District-Camden County)

Senator Rice (28^th District-Essex County)

Senator Ruiz (29^th District-Essex County)

Senator Sacco (32^nd District-Hudson County)

Senator Sarlo (36^th District-Bergen, Essex, Passaic Counties)

Senator Scutari (22^nd District-Union, Somerset Counties)

Senator Singer (30^th District-Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth Counties)

Senator Stack (33nd District-Hudson County)

Senator Sweeney (3^rd District-Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland Counties)

Senator Vitale (19^th District-Middlesex County)

Senator Weinberg (37^th District-Bergen County)

Senator Whelan (2^nd District-Atlantic County)

Again, I sincerely THANK all retailers for coming to Trenton yesterday and fighting for your small business!  I'm proud of you all!

NJGCA will update you in the coming weeks on our next step.  Keep an eye out for our next Widfire Alert that will notify you of those Assembly Members that may need some extra persuasion from you all!

Please send your comments to info@njgca.org