Legislative Activity Never Stops

by Angela Holland
W ith the next legislative session still a few months away, GACS remains engaged with the issues and legislators whose support the convenience industry needs. In particular, tort reform, disaster mitigation, and swipe fees were front and center in 2024 and will continue to be in 2025.

Here’s a quick run down of what we have been doing and where things stand at year’s end.

GACS Chairman Matt Jones of Friendly Gus and I spent much of the week post convention, preparing to represent you on Thursday, August 22 at Governor Brian Kemp’s Small Business Roundtable on Tort Reform.  Matt did a FANTASTIC job representing the convenience store industry.   The meeting was live-streamed and can still be viewed on You Tube.

While Matt and I were at the Governor’s Roundtable meeting, RaceTrac’s Drew Gardner presented to the House Study Committee on Disaster Mitigation and Resilience, viewable on Vimeo.  GREAT job Drew, sharing the work you do and many of our members do during disasters!
Additionally, he specifically asked the state for assistance with these issues:
​•    Generator transfer switch installations
•    Essential business re-entry
•    State-wide disaster preparedness and response website
•    State generator placement program, and
•    Designated fuel locations
It was definitely a week of divide and conquer!
Then on Wednesday the 28th, I attended a House Study Committee on Credit Card Fees on State Sales and Excise Tax and Their Impact on Georgia Merchants and Consumers. Interestingly, Bill Sheedy, Senior Advisor to Visa Chair and CEO stated (roughly 1 hour and 5 minutes into the meeting) “To what benefit?”.... I can get to the same level of interchange irrespective of whether or not I multiply it times a number that is net of tax or gross tax...we set the interchange to create an economic flow....we still would need to sit back and say what’s the level of interchange we need....” (the ... represent omitted words.)  As the Q & A with Mr. Sheedy continued, in a roundabout way, he stated this same sentiment a second time.  Our thanks and appreciation go out to State Representative Todd Jones who specifically asked him about this since Visa has an oligopoly in this industry. Chairman of the Committee, State Representative Will Wade, announced near the end of the meeting, that merchants would be asked to present at the next meeting, and he hoped to provide a week or two weeks’ notice of the meeting.
Please watch for emails asking for urgent action on both issues.
On the tort reform front, YOU need to meet with your STATE Representative & STATE Senator to share your company’s stories.   You must communicate with me or Chairman Matt Jones about your conversations with your state legislators.  If we are to arrive at real tort reform, we need EVERY MEMBER to engage. Over the next few months, we will work diligently with a coalition including state associations in the restaurant, grocery, trucking, daycare, hotel, and insurance industries. It’s important we put a huge effort as an industry into this issue.
On the swipe fee issue, please reach out to the State Representatives who have been assigned to the committee:
•    Rep. Will Wade – Chair (R-Dawsonville)
•    Rep. Noel Williams (R-Cordele)
•    Rep. Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth)
•    Rep. Terry Cummings (D-Mableton)
If you have a relationship with any of the above committee members, please contact them. Let them know how important this issue is to your business. We have drafted a letter with talking points on the issue; contact me if you’d like to use it in your conversations.   
The committee is also constructed of additional non-legislative members including:
•    Mr. Kevin Carroll, Retail Payments Expert from a Motor Fuel Retailer (RaceTrac)
•    Mr. Wayne Akins, Banking Industry Expert
•    Dr. Joe Ruhland, Consumer Member
•    Ms. Gina McCollum, Payment-Processing Expert from a Processing Company
•    Mr. Chandra (CB) Yadav, Restaurant Owner
•    Ms. Laura Lanier, Small Business Owner
Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.  All Rights Reserved.
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