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Road Warrior Newsletter


September 28, 2017

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:
• NY Residents Working in NJ Not Eligible for NY State Paid Sick Leave Protections; Stage II Vapor Recovery Update; Steel UST Owners, Read This Important Message; Autopart International to Offer Training Class on OE+ Rotating Electrical

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001
- Asbury Park: Commercial Building for Sale. Possible Sale of Business
- Bergen County: Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
2017 Tobacco Legislative Summary
Trump’s tax plan: business owners win, deficit hawks lose
Six Regulatory Issues Testing the C-Store Channel

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
• ONE DAY EMISSIONS INSPECTOR CLASS - TUES. OCT. 3rd

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 YouEnergy Bills

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

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE
TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

                                                                                                                                                                 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!


NY RESIDENTS WORKING IN NJ ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR NY STATE’S PAID SICK LEAVE PROTECTIONS
STAGE II VAPOR RECOVERY UPDATE
STEEL UST OWNERS READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE
AUTOPART INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CLASS ON OE+ ROTATING ELECTRICAL
 
Recently, a member reached out with a potential problem: his payroll account manager informed him that his employees living in New York were covered and protected under New York’s newly enacted paid family leave law, even though they were employed at a business in NJ.  He was told that he would be subjected to an additional tax on those employees’ paychecks to provide money to New York State to cover the cost of the paid family leave benefits.  This came as a surprise to me, and we immediately went to work researching this. We ultimately learned that this is inaccurate. New York’s paid family leave laws and employer taxes and obligations apply ONLY to businesses and employees operating in NY. (This also includes any NJ residents who work in NY).  Please make sure that whoever does your payroll isn't making unnecessary deductions from your business to pay this tax in New York.  If any of you fall in this category, please contact us immediately.
 
In recent months, I have mentioned our confidence that Stage II Vapor Recovery would be eliminated and you would be permitted to dismantle your Stage II systems. Many of you are waiting for the official rules to be adopted before replacing pumps/dispensers to avoid incurring the added cost of including Stage II equipment on the replacement dispensers.  Representations were made to us that once the new rules were proposed, NJDEP would act with discretion regarding the enforcement of Stage II if the process of replacing pumps/dispensers had already begun.  However, without anything officially in writing and only a verbal assurance, “we will use discretion”, I'm not confident enough to advise you to ignore the current regulations while waiting for new regulations to be officially adopted.

I've been told that sometime in the next week or so, you will be receiving a letter stating that NJDEP will in fact use discretion when enforcing current Stage II rules if a site chooses to replace dispensers before final adoption of the new rules that will permit the installation of non-Stage II equipment.  We expect the final official adoption of the new rules permitting the dismantling of your Stage II systems to happen in December.  If any of you fall in this category, please contact Debbie here at headquarters BEFORE you begin the process of replacing your dispensers.
 
It has been brought to our attention that NJDEP is sending an email request to every STEEL Underground Storage Tank Owner.  The Department would like a copy of your latest passing CP (Cathodic Protection) Survey Report. This may be a onetime request, since the Department now has the capability to store the reports. 

However, if you receive this request and your USTs are Fiberglass you must contact our office immediately as this means your UST Questionnaire may have been completed inaccurately, as we just experienced with another member. A new UST Registration Questionnaire must be completed immediately to amend the information and avoid receiving any penalties from the NJDEP.

NJDEP is only reaching out to STEEL Underground Storage Tank Owners.  You must comply!  The average age of STEEL USTs is 30 years.  Since many of those are single walled, it is important that the testing is done within six months of installation and every three (3) years afterwards.  This will give you the opportunity to check your records and make sure you have had the CP Survey done in the last three years. If you haven't had the CP Survey done with passing results within the last three years you may have to have a costly internal inspection performed to continue operating your tanks.

If you have STEEL USTs you may send the CP Survey with Passing Results to:  Robert.House@dep.nj.gov   Please make sure your PI# and UST Registration Number is included with your submitted report.  If you have any questions or need more info, please contact Debbie@NJGCA.org or call her at:  732-256-9646.

Finally, for our Auto Repair Shop owners, NJGCA is proud to announce that in addition to offering preferred pricing on auto parts and a customized rebate program, Autopart International will soon begin hosting training classes for NJGCA members. Our first training class is OE+ Rotating Electrical (Alternators, Starters, etc.).  This training focuses on the cost of comebacks, tools and tests that can eliminate comebacks, and other topics surrounding voltage related issues, batteries and alternators.
 
The class is:
Tuesday, October 10th
NJGCA Headquarters in Wall Twp
5:00-7:00pm


Sub sandwiches, chips and soda will be provided. Please RSVP directly to this email to let us know that you can attend. 

NJGCA IS PROUD TO OFFER CLASSES THAT ARE FREE FOR MEMBERS TO ATTEND, AS A BENEFIT OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP.  WE APPRECIATE THE GENEROSITY OF OUR MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNERS.

Please take advantage of these exclusive offers. If members choose not to be engaged in the programs we offer, it makes it very difficult for us to continue providing quality trainings and seminars.  If there is some other topic or issue that you would like more information on, please let us know and we will work with our partners to set-up a training or seminar.

As always, you can contact the office with any questions or suggestions 732-256-9646.


Thanks for reading -- See you next 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!
TUESDAY, October 3rd -- 7am to 3pm

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: Tuesday, October 3rd from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Cost $250.
Click HERE for the registration 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

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.

FOR SALE:
Commercial Building in Asbury Park, Possible Sale of Business, Too!  For listing information, please click HERE.
FOR SALE:
Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale in Bergen County!

Business established in 1980. Fully equipped repair shop with 5 lifts including an alignment rack with a 2-year-old Hunter Hawkeye alignment machine. New Hunter tire machine & wheel balancer. AAA aproved and very busy.
Towing business also available which includes 3 Freightliner/JerrDan flatbeds (2015, 2016 & 2017), a 2012 Dodge crew cab wrecker with a Jerrdan Quick Pick & dual cable winch & 2 service trucks (a 2012 GMC 2500 utility truck with a plow & a 2014 Ford transit battery/service vehicle).

Pumping over 1,000,000 gallons per year. 100x300 lot with plenty of parking. Excellent location!!! Call Jim @ 201-851-3084.

         

                                                                                                                                                                         

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW


09/27/2017:
2017 Tobacco Legislative Summary
With only several state legislatures yet to conclude their 2017 legislative sessions, the outcome of various tobacco legislation in most states is now clear. This year, 28 states considered bills to raise cigarette and/or tobacco-product tax rates in some form. Three of these states passed and enacted tax changes, including Delaware (50¢ per-pack cigarette-tax increase, 15% increase on OTP and 38¢ tax increase on moist snuff), NY (modified the tax on large cigars from 75% of wholesale to 45¢ per cigar) and Rhode Island (increased tax rate on cigarettes by 50¢). California voters approved a ballot question last November that raised the state’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack and also increased the OTP tax to 65.08%. These tax increases went into effect on July 1, 2017. Conversely, Minnesota removed the automatic inflator on the excise tax per pack of cigarettes and froze the cigarette tax rate at $3.04 per pack. Additionally, Minnesota reduced the tax cap on premium cigars from $3.50 to 50¢ per cigar.  This year also produced an increasing number of states introducing legislation to assess a new tax on e-cigarettes and vapor products. Fifteen states considered bills to enact a new tax. Of the bills introduced in these states, only two were enacted into law. Delaware passed a new tax on vapor products at 5¢ per fluid milliliter on nicotine solution and NY passed a tax modification on vapor products to 40¢ per fluid milliliter. On the other hand, the Kansas legislature decreased the excise tax on vapor products from 20¢ per milliliter of e-liquid to 5¢.  Finally, 27 state legislatures had bills introduced to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products to either age 19 or 21. So far, the states of Oregon, NJ and Maine have enacted a statewide law to increase the legal minimum age to purchase to 21 years old. These states join California and Hawaii, increasing the total to five states with a minimum legal age to purchase at 21.
 
09/26/2017:
Trump’s tax plan: business owners win, deficit hawks lose
Small business owners, large corporations and the super wealthy could fare well under President Donald Trump’s tax plan. The middle-class could come out ahead, too, but the plan has too many holes to determine how individual taxpayers would be affected. The plan would reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three -- 12%, 25% and 35%. But it doesn’t specify the income levels for each bracket. Those important details will be sorted out by Congress. Trump unveiled his tax plan Wednesday at an event in Indiana. The plan was outlined by senior administration officials who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to be quoted on the details of the frame-work ahead of the president’s remarks. The plan has more winners than losers, largely because Trump is leaving it to Congress to figure out how to pay for it -- or whether to pay for it. For more analysis on who the specific winners and losers will be, and why, please click the link above.
 
09/18/2017:
Six Regulatory Issues Testing the C-Store Channel
Municipalities across the country have levied taxes on sugary drinks. Minneapolis, San Francisco and Chicago have taken jabs at the sacred menthol cow -- which represents 1/3 of the tobacco category. NY circumvented the federal government by enacting its own menu-labeling law. The agonizing duality is that selling regulated or indulgent products often pits retailers against the public health. The business is at once lucrative and dubious. To that end, sometimes retailers fall back. In Minneapolis, some retailers asked for more time to research the matter and measure the economic effects. In fights over regulated products, one of retailers’ strongest arguments is a potential loss of jobs, says Lyle Beckwith, senior VP of government relations for NACS. As debate intensifies, ritual posturing from both sides ensues. Opponents with honed strategies pull out playbooks and sharpen talking points. They learn from defeat and often reuse or reshape tactics that have led to victory in other cities. What follows are examinations of and updates on some of the more onerous ordinances pelting c-stores, including the attack on tobacco, the agony of soda taxes, gas taxes, wage issues, the SNAP situation and dealing with data breaches. They align intimately with what makes the impulse business model work -- and together may combine for catastrophic ends.  To read more about any of these topics specifically, please click the link above.

                                                                                                                                                                 

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 PARTICIPATON: 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. 

                                                                                                                                     

*NEW* 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.