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March 21, 2019

Dear NJGCA Member:

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

• Rain Tax & Cashless Store Ban Signed Into Law; UST Regulation Compliance Advisory; Hiring and Firing Webinars; NJGCA Young Professionals Networking Event Today; Class C Training Program Reminder

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Mercer County: Gas Station for Sale
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• Marijuana Bills Advance Amid Opponents’ Doomsday Rhetoric
• Murphy Signs Bill Banning Most Cashless Stores In New Jersey
• Cannabis Conundrums: Employment Lawyers Break Down Issues Firms Will Face If Recreational Pot Is Legalized
• Judge: Jersey City’s Payroll Tax Is Constitutional
• FDA Rolls Out Vaping Policy To Make It Harder For Minors To Buy Flavored Products

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!

??????• EMISSIONS INSPECTOR TRAINING CLASS: WEDNESDAY, April 24th
??????• ENTIRE EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26
??????• RECERTIFICATION EMISSION REPAIR TECHNICIAN PROGRAM: May 1, 8, 15, 22

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
• The Amato Agency: Garage Insurance and Workers Compensation!
• ATS Environmental: Confidence in your Tank & Compliance Testing
• Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
• CBIZ Insurance: Our Business is Growing Yours!
• Gill Energy: Getting you There!
• Lending Capital: "Commercial Loans Made Easy" Program
• Salomone Brothers: Tank Testing and Environmental Compliance
• TMP Energy Solutions: Another Way to Save On Your Energy Bills

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
• Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

RAIN TAX & CASHLESS STORE BAN SIGNED INTO LAW
UST REGULATION COMPLIANCE ADVISORY
HIRING AND FIRING WEBINARS
NJGCA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NETWORKING EVENT TODAY
CLASS C TRAINING PROGRAM REMINDER

RAIN TAX

On Monday, the governor signed several pieces of legislation into law, two of which may have an effect on our industry. One has been labeled by the business community as the “rain tax,” although this does not impose a tax on you directly. It permits municipalities to determine if they want to impose a tax on both businesses and residents based on the amount of impervious surface on your property (pavement). You will need to monitor any efforts in your local municipalities that are undertaken to implement such a tax. I’m pretty sure that you will learn about it because this will also include residential properties, and you can be assured that any town that tries to impose a tax like this will cause residents to be screaming and yelling, passing petitions, and showing up at mayor and council meetings. However, if your town does try to impose such a tax, it is important to let us know so that we can get involved on your behalf. You can read more about this tax HERE.

CASHLESS STORE BAN

The second piece of legislation is one we’ve written in recent months regarding Amazon’s experiment with cashless convenience stores; permitting customers to walk into a store, do their shopping, and leave; without even ringing up their purchases at the cash register. Technology allows for Amazon to know the products that you are leaving the store with and to bill you accordingly. The governor just signed legislation that requires merchants to accept cash. This does not affect any of you at the present time, but in a future marketplace, with future technologies, this may have some implications.

UST COMPLIANCE ADVISORY

A quick update on UST regulations. New Jersey does have a state approved program, of which regulations went into effect in October 2018. For over a year before that, we notified you all countless times that these regulations would be going into effect. Though this compliance advisory is directed towards states without a state program, I wanted to bring it to your attention regardless, as it notes that on compliance checks many have failed some specific requirements. I want you all to be aware of these so that you do not fail your compliance checks. Please read this compliance advisory from the EPA to learn more about those specific requirements.

WEBINARS

I want to thank Alicyn Craig of McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen, Carvelli (MARC) Law for an outstanding webinar on hiring best practices that we conducted yesterday. It is important you understand these laws in order to avoid hefty penalties and fines from the Department of Labor. We host these webinars in order to help you keep up with important employment law legal requirements without having to travel to an event. We hope you are finding these webinars informative and convenient. If you were unable to join our hiring webinar, we will post the recording of it on our website in the next few weeks. Our next webinar on firing best practices and dealing with disruptive employees and employee disputes will be held on April 3rd from 2 to 3 PM and will be hosted by Steven Horowitz of the Horowitz Law Group. I highly suggest you all sign up as we all encounter these issues as business owners.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Another reminder, this evening the NJGCA Young Professionals group will be having another networking event at the Plank Pizza Co. in Saddle Brook. There is still time to register! The event will be $25 per person. You can register to attend the event by clicking HERE. Please email Michelle at michelle@njgca.org if you or someone you know of may be interested in attending, or you are interested in sponsoring the event.

CLASS C

Finally, I want to remind you all again that we launched our Class C training program on our website and is available for all of your employees to take. We recommend certifying all of your employees as Class C’s to instruct your employees on the different alarms and emergencies that may arise at your station, and to avoid costly penalties from DEP. You can access the program HERE.

That's all for this week-

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

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

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!
WEDNESDAY, April 24th -- 7 AM to 3 PM

Want one of your technicians to become a NJ Emissions Inspector? We can help! Our one-day class will provide all the information for becoming a NJ Emissions Inspector, and the State will administer the written test the very same day at our offices! We are offering the class Wednesday, April 24th from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $275 for members. Click HERE for registration form.

Want to become an emission repair technician/facility?
Entire Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP) Training Classes
Sections 1-7
1 PM to 9 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22
June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26

Sections 8, 9, 10 (RECERTIFICATION)
1 PM to 9 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22

Stop turning away work!

The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Repair Facility and have a Licensed Emission Repair Technician perform the repairs! When the new Emissions Inspection program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Facilities will be given to the vehicle owners who fail the New Jersey Emission Inspection. If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician and you are licensed as a Emission Repair Facility! Those signing up for the FULL training course will attend sections 1-10. Full ETEP class fees for members are $2,195 and non-members are $2,395. Recertification fees for members are $729 and non-members are $879. Note for Spring 2018 classes: Recertification dates will be held FIRST, with sections 1 to 7 to follow.

Click here for FULL ETEP REGISTRATION FORM
Click here for ETEP RECERTIFICATION FORM

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

NEW!
FOR SALE:
GAS STATION FOR SALE
EWING NEW JERSEY
OWNER RETIRING
CALL: 609-882-1105

FOR SALE:

Business For Sale: Monmouth County gas station and repair shop in business since 2001 is for sale. Owner is relocating out of state and is interested in selling business and equipment. Owner is open to limited financing. Business has a strong 10 year lease. The building has two repair bays and the gas pumps are leased to a large independent tenant. Repair shop business currently employs a Manager and two full-time Technicians. For inquiries and more info, please call Mark at 908-670-7798.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

3/18/19
Marijuana Bills Advance Amid Opponents’ Doomsday Rhetoric
After six hours of delays and hand-wringing, committees in both houses of the state Legislature on Monday advanced bills to legalize recreational cannabis and clear the records of those with marijuana-related convictions, setting up possible floor votes for next week. Legislative staff were still “fine tuning” almost 20 major changes to the centerpiece of the legislative package, NJ S2703 (18R), early Monday evening, Assembly Appropriations Chairman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said.

3/18/19
Murphy Signs Bill Banning Most Cashless Stores In New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday signed into law a bill that bans most brick-and-mortar businesses in the state from refusing to accept cash from customers, making New Jersey only the second state to do so. The bill, NJ A591 (18R), first introduced in 2017, began advancing in June but was temporarily held up because of opposition from Amazon and Walmart, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. . .The bill’s official description states it “prohibits a person from selling or offering for sale any goods or services at retail if the person requires the buyer to pay with credit or prohibits the buyer from paying with cash.”

3/15/19
Cannabis Conundrums: Employment Lawyers Break Down Issues Firms Will Face If Recreational Pot Is Legalized
The legalization of recreational marijuana is closer to reality in New Jersey as a bill awaits its journey through the legislative process in Trenton. What will that finally mean for employers if the bill becomes law? Some lawmakers have said it means business as usual — whoever wants to continue enforcing strict drug-free workplaces can, and whoever wants to allow recreational use after hours or during hours can, too. One major underlying issue for some employers is the expanded medical use, and the reasonable accommodation rules that apply to disabilities in the workplace, according to David Rosen, an employment attorney at Sills Cummis & Gross. When employers are testing for drugs, marijuana will show up, but determining if a person is high on the job or is using after hours is hard to determine, he said.

3/15/19
Judge: Jersey City’s Payroll Tax Is Constitutional
A Hudson County judge ruled in favor of Jersey City’s new payroll tax on Friday, dismissing a lawsuit challenging the tax that was filed by a group led by real estate developers Mack-Cali and LeFrak. . .The payroll tax — a 1 percent levy on businesses — was approved by the City Council last year and went into effect on Jan. 1. It is intended to offset cuts to state education aid that local officials believe could devastate the 30,000-student school district. Bariso’s ruling refers to the slashed state aid as a “monetary crisis” and says if the tax is not imposed, the district could see teacher layoffs, increased classroom sizes, cut bus routes and more.

3/13/19
FDA Rolls Out Vaping Policy To Make It Harder For Minors To Buy Flavored Products
The Food and Drug Administration issued a much-anticipated policy on Wednesday that is designed to restrict how and where flavored e-cigarettes are sold — an effort to combat what the agency’s commissioner has called “an epidemic” of underage vaping. The initiative, a top priority of departing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, would limit sales of fruity and kid-friendly vaping products to stores that bar minors or have separate adult-only sections. And it says online sellers must tighten age verification and curb bulk sales. The agency said companies that violate those conditions would be subject to FDA enforcement actions — including having their products ordered off the market.

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.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: 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
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
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.

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

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.