40206151_s (1)The International Franchise Association is hosting its 16th Annual Public Affairs Conference in Washington D.C. this week. For those IFA members who are unable to attend, the IFA posted its “2015 Franchise Public Policy Platform” to outline the policy changes its members will be advocating when they meet with their members of Congress during what the IFA calls its “most important advocacy event.” Most of the policy changes on the IFA’s list have been well discussed amongst professionals in the franchising community.   It should come as no surprise to anyone that the IFA is urging policymakers to reject the National Labor Relations Board’s attempt to reverse decades of legal precedent by holding franchisors liable for the employee claims against its franchisees. Additional platform issues include:

  1. Clawing back on overreaching labor and workforce laws such as the NLRB new regulations loosening union organizing rules.
  2. Restoring the definition of 40 hours as a full-time work week under the Affordable Care Act.
  3. Revising the Internal Revenue Code to lower the effective rate and reduce complexity for small business owners.
  4. Passing immigration reform that includes an effective employment eligibility verification program that provides safety to employers but an improved visa program to allow temporary and low-skill workers into the US legally.
  5. Increasing small business owners’ access to SBA loans.
  6. Offering increased incentives to businesses that hire military veterans.

We wish the best of luck to all our fellow IFA members and colleagues who are down in Washington D.C. now advocating for the policies important to the franchising industry.