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COVID-19 FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR CONSUMERS ACT
AMEX JOINS EMV EXTENSION 
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MARKETPLACE
COVID-19 & UST COMPLIANCE
 

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director
 

 

5/6/20
American Express Moves EMV Deadline
American Express notified NACS yesterday that it would delay its EMV deadline for automated fuel dispensers (AFDs) to April 16, 2021. The move comes on the heels of Visa's announcement on Friday of its new EMV deadline of April 17, 2021. Mastercard and Discover haven't yet followed suit.

5/6/20
Visa Idles Swipe-Fee Hike for a Year
Visa late yesterday said it would again push back planned increases in credit card swipe fees until April 2021 but will go ahead and reduce interchange fees for in-store purchases at supermarkets in July. In March, Visa and Mastercard agreed to postpone until July the rollout of a new fee structure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. . . The news comes on the heels of Visa's announcement last week that it also would delay until April 2021 the deadline for U.S. gas station owners to upgrade their automated fuel dispensers to take EMV chip and contactless payments. NACS advocated for a delay in the EMV liability shift because convenience stores are already under pressure operating as essential businesses during the pandemic.

5/4/20
Wawa Location Closed Briefly After Worker Tests Positive For Coronavirus
A Wawa in Gloucester County was closed temporarily after an employee reported testing positive for the coronavirus, the company announced Monday. The associate worked outdoors at the gas pumps at the 332 S. Black Horse Pike location in Williamstown and was last on the job Saturday. The store was closed Monday morning to be "professionally deep cleaned and disinfected by a third-party."

5/4/20
EMV Deadline Moved to April 2021
Visa on Friday said it will delay the EMV liability shift deadline for automated fuel dispensers (AFDs) to April 17, 2021. The network's delay was in response to letters NACS sent on behalf of its retail members to the four global networks requesting a delay of the October deadline, given the extreme disruption to the workforce and supply chain amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

5/4/20
Juul Donated To New Jersey Politicians Even As They Considered Vaping Restrictions
As New Jersey lawmakers considered restrictions on vaping products, a leading e-cigarette maker donated to political organizations with close ties to both state Senate President Steve Sweeney and Gov. Phil Murphy. The donations from Juul Labs came even after Sweeney called for a ban on all vaping products and then pushed a bill that would severely restrict their sales in New Jersey. According to filings with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, Juul's $7,500 donation to General Majority, a Sweeney-tied super PAC, was dated Jan. 24 - less than two weeks after the Senate and Assembly passed a Sweeney-backed bill, NJ A5922 (18R), that could have banned the company's products from store shelves, and three days after Murphy vetoed it.

5/2/20
N.J. Losing Billions in Epic Tax Revenue Shortfall. These Stunning Examples Show How Bad it is
Gas sales have plummeted, with station owners reporting their sales are down about 70 percent, said Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association. That's a direct hit to the Transportation Trust Fund that pays for road and rail improvements across the state and could spell another gas tax hike. A law passed in 2016 raising the gas tax 23 cents a gallon requires the tax rate be adjusted each October to ensure it generates enough money for the trust fund. If it falls short of the $2 billion target in one year, the treasurer is supposed to increase it in the next. Before the pandemic, Risalvato said his group estimated there wold be a slight shortfall this year that might necessitate a one or two cent bump in the tax rate. Now, he said, he can only guess. "I can tell you right now that the revenues - no ifs, ands or buts - are going to be seriously deficient from the $2 billion that the 2016 law requires to be taken in the TTF," Risalvato said.

5/1/20
Why Were NJ's Small Businesses Shortchanged by Federal Program to Offset COVID-19 Losses?
New Jersey businesses got more than $9.5 billion from the first round of a federal program aimed at helping small firms through the COVID-19 pandemic. While that's a lot of money, New Jersey has one of the smallest percentages of state businesses getting assistance in the nation. An analysis of the Paycheck Protection Program by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found that New Jersey and New York, the two states hit hardest by the viral spread, ranked nearly last in terms of the percentage of all businesses - 18% - that got an award from the first round of the government's main small-business assistance program. Only California and Nevada have smaller proportions, 15% and 17%, respectively.

4/28/20
Murphy's Re-Entry Plan for NJ Businesses and Public Spaces Lacks Timeline, Specifics
Before the economy can begin to recover, New Jersey will need to see a two-week decline in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, expand testing capacity to double the current level, recruit as many as 7,000 people to track down infections, and be ready to house and care for residents who test positive and lack a safe place to quarantine. That's according to the broad six-point plan Gov. Phil Murphy outlined Monday in Trenton, which includes a series of public health benchmarks he said must be met before businesses and public spaces can safely reopen. Today, he plans to announce the members of a new recovery commission that will guide the economic elements of the state's revival in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

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.