Januarty 07, 2016

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!

HOW LOTTERY AND TOBACCO AFFECT C-STORE SALES
QUESTIONS AND FALSE INFORMATION REGARDING "NEXT GENERATION" EMISSIONS INSPECTION PROGRAM
AUTO REPAIR AND TIRE SHOP SUMMIT - FEBRUARY 10, 2016
FLURRY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY IN TRENTON
COMPLIANCE CALENDARS AVAILABLE ONLINE
SUCCESSFUL BREAKFAST MEETING IN WALL TOWNSHIP

 
One thing that I've seen in recent years (since we expanded the Association to include c-stores and began learning more about the lottery) is how well our members do when there is a big jackpot. Though we have not received official numbers from anybody, we expect that the past month of enormous jackpots has turned out to be a bonanza for those of you that operate convenience stores, because many of the people who come to buy lottery tickets tend to smell the coffee and buy some of that too!  The same goes for tobacco products. This week, the NJ Assembly voted to raise the age to purchase tobacco from 19 to 21.  The bill is on Governor Christie's desk, and he has to address it by January 19^th.  To read the letter that we wrote to the Governor last week, click HERE.

Since NJGCA has been so vocal on this issue, I received many press calls and interview requests as soon as the news came out. I was quoted in multiple newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal (click HERE to read the article). I also did a TV interview with NJTV News, which you can watch by clicking HERE.  Once again, our main concern is any action that reduces the number of customers coming through your doors... because if they aren't there to buy tobacco or purchase a lottery ticket, they won't be there buying a cup of coffee or a bag of chips, either.
 
Next, many of you are calling the Office with all kinds of things that you are hearing with regard to the "next generation" emissions inspection program. The amount of false information that is being passed to you has been enormous. Because many of you have relationships with the person that conducts your audit every month, they might share things that they hear. However, with each phone call that comes into my office, I am realizing how little is actually being shared with them from the folks higher up the food chain... I'll be reviewing all of the facts in detail soon and of course you will all have an opportunity at the Auto Repair and Tire Shop Summit on Feb. 10th to ask questions directly to the Head of the Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Ray Martinez. To register for the Summit, click HERE.  Member cost is only $39 and includes breakfast and lunch, as well as valuable information from the USDOL and OSHA, a legislative issue update from me, and a program from Automotive Training Institute.  Look for THIS postcard in the mail for more information!
 
Next, we keep our eye on hundreds of potentially helpful and harmful bills in the state legislature throughout the year. This week marked the end of the two-year session of the 216th Legislature & the beginning of the two-year session of the 217th Legislature. The voting sessions went until 2:00 AM on Tuesday morning, in order to be completed by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, which is when the new Legislature was sworn in.  Here are some items of importance that occurred this week:
 
·  The November ballot will include a constitutional amendment to dedicate 100% of all revenue from fuel taxes to the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). This is considered a requirement for any increase in those fuel taxes.
·  Governor Christie thankfully vetoed a bill which would have changed the formula used to determine attorneys’ fees awarded in workers’ comp cases in a way that would discourage settlement, dragging cases out longer in the courts, and costing you with higher premiums.
·  The Governor gave his annual “State of the State Address”. He called for the elimination of the state’s excessively high death taxes, which hurt business owners particularly hard. More than half of all states do not have any death taxes, New Jersey is one of only two states with two taxes (estate tax and inheritance tax). For the second year in a row, he also completely neglected to mention the dire state of the Transportation Trust Fund and how it will be funded. There have been rumors, however, that the Governor would agree to a reasonable increase in fuel taxes (10-15¢ a gallon more) if the death taxes were significantly lowered or eliminated completely.
·  After a lot of infighting among the Democratic leadership, the Governor announced an agreement had been reached on the issue of casinos. This November voters will decide whether or not the state should allow the construction of two casinos in North Jersey, one in the Meadowlands and one in Jersey City. It is hoped that these casinos will recapture some of the business that abandoned Atlantic City for Pennsylvania and Connecticut, increasing state revenues and making it less likely they will turn to tax increases to fund their budget.
·  Democratic leadership is continuing to push a ballot initiative that amends the constitution to mandate quarterly payments by the State into the pension fund, with no reforms to the pension program whatsoever. Governor Christie attacked this financially irresponsible plan in his address, saying it would make every citizen in the state who is not a public employee a second class citizen. The bloated pension system would become, by constitutional law, the top priority of the State. Given how broken and excessive the system is, the only way the State would be able to afford it would be to: increase the sales tax to 10%, increase income taxes on everyone by 23%, cut billions from education spending and property tax relief, or drastically increase the corporate tax (or some combination). Any of those would be disastrous to the state and your business.
 
There were 3,336 bills immediately introduced when the session began at 12:00 on Tuesday, and we are in the process of going through all of them to determine what may be of importance to us and our members!
 
Additionally, this is a reminder that 2016 Compliance Calendars were not printed by the State this year.  The link to the online document is HERE.
 
Finally, I just want to say that the NJGCA 2016 Diner Tour kicked off with a very successful meeting in Wall Township this week. I was surrounded by guys who've been in the business for many years, and we had incredible, enlightening conversation about how the industry has changed and how we can address the issues that small business owners are currently facing.  I look forward to having many more breakfast meetings all around the State, so that I can see as many of my members as possible!  Some pictures from this week's meeting are below.   

Perfect sized group for a meaningful, productive and insightful conversation!


Al Black from B+G Gulf in Holmdel won a case of 5/20 synthetic oil from Hough Petroleum & Lubricants -- it just so happens that Al is also a Hough customer!


Lou Franco from Petroleum Energy People in Oceanport won the $50 NJGCA raffle!

Thanks for reading -- See you all next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753

Emission Repair Technician ENTIRE Training Course
Eleven (11) Full Days -- 9 AM to 5 PM on Tuesdays
January 12, 19, 26 ... February 2, 9, 16, 23 ... March 1, 8, 15, 22

Emission Repair Technician Re-Certification Class
Four (4) Full Days
Days: 9AM - 5PM on Tuesdays -- March 1, 8, 15 22

For more details on all of these classes, click HERE. 
For a registration form for any of these classes, click HERE. 

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 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 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

1/12/2016:
New Jersey may be second state to raise smoking age to 21
NJ may become the second state to raise the smoking age to 21, as part of a movement that's been spurred in part by a major study released last year and a sharp increase in e-cig use among young people. The state's Legislature on Monday passed a bill that would fine retailers up to $1,000 if they sell cigarettes or other tobacco products, including e-cigs that are often called "vapes," to anyone 20 years old or younger.  The law wouldn't punish underage smokers.  It's unclear whether Gov. Chris Christie will sign it into law.  He has until Jan. 19 to decide, and a spokesman declined to comment on the governor's intentions.  In 2014, the Republican presidential candidate vetoed a bill that passed with overwhelming support to extend a smoking ban to parks and public beaches, saying local municipalities should be able to decide.  Hawaii became the first state to raise the smoking age to 21 starting Jan. 1, and similar measures have been introduced in eight other states and the District of Columbia.  Federal lawmakers have also proposed a nationwide smoking age of 21.
 
1/12/2016:
US Crude Oil Hits European Shores For The 1st Time In 40 Years
For the first time in 40 years, U.S.-produced crude oil has made it to Europe, meaning the continent won’t have to rely as much on Russia for its energy needs.  American crude oil from Texas arrived in Switzerland late last week, less than a month after Congress reversed the 40-year ban on oil exports.  Two weeks ago, an oil tanker carrying a shipment of Texas crude left Corpus Christi for Italy according to a report by Fuel Fix. Crude oil exports were first banned by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act in 1975 to reduce the impact of potential oil embargoes by the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC). The ban was heavily supported by refineries, who could sell refined oil at high prices, and environmentalists, who argued that the ban limited oil production.  America surpassed Russia early last year as the world’s largest and fastest-growing producer of oil and natural gas. U.S. oil exports could also reduce the influence of unstable petro-states like Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
 
1/11/2016:
Gas tax dedication to appear on November ballot
NJ voters will be asked this November to constitutionally dedicate all of the state’s fuel tax revenues to transportation projects -- a measure lawmakers say could soften the blow of a possible tax increase. The state Legislature voted overwhelmingly on Monday to place the proposal (ACR1) on the ballot this fall, reaching a so-called "super majority" and avoiding a procedural requirement that would have forced a second vote in both houses later this year. The Assembly voted, 75-0, to advance the resolution, while the Senate approved it, 35-2. From the Assembly floor, Speaker Vincent Prieto urged his colleagues to support the resolution to give residents "confidence that not only this Legislature but future legislatures will use that money wisely and to spend it for what it is intended." "We are a corridor state," Prieto said. "Transportation is our number one key in fixing our infrastructure and investing in our infrastructure."
 

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 require 12 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 732-256-9646 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.