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October 8, 2025

Franchise Means Local Campaign Launched

This week, IFA launched a new, bold campaign, “Franchise Means Local,” a national effort to reinforce that franchisees are in fact: local small business owners. The campaign uses digital storytelling to show how franchisees hire, invest, and own locally. 

Why it matters: Franchises employ 9 million Americans and operate 831,000 small businesses, but are often misunderstood as “big business.” This campaign stresses that franchising represents local ownership and economic opportunity that stays right in the community.

Get involved: Share your story by creating your own video for social media using this member toolkit - or let us know if you’re interested in a video to one of your local franchises.

Tell Congress: Support the American Franchise Act

You can quickly contact your lawmakers in support of the American Franchise Act (AFA) — landmark legislation, introduced Sept. 10, that would codify a clear, permanent joint employer standard consistent with decades of precedent.

Why it matters: Franchising thrives on the relationship between franchisors and franchisees, and this IFA-supported legislation would end the changes to joint employment rules with each successive presidential administration in Washington.

Take action: Tell Congress to keep the American dream local — support the American Franchise Act.

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Senate Considers Labor Law Reforms

This week during the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is holding two important hearings:

• Labor Law Reform Part 1: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals (Oct. 8)
• Consideration of Key Labor Nominees (Oct. 9)

Why it matters: IFA has announced our support for NLRB nominees Scott Mayer, James Murphy and Crystal Carey to ensure the NLRB is fully functioning and responsive to the marketplace.

What else: The people and policies around labor law proposals are relevant to franchising because the franchisor-franchisee relationship is often affected by policies designed to modernize federal labor law—including changes to joint employer rules, collective bargaining frameworks, and worker protections.

IFA Seeks Loyalty Program Clarity

What’s happening: IFA joined the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Real Estate Roundtable, and U.S. Travel in urging the U.S. Treasury Department to clarify IRS rules on Sec. 451-4 ("Green Stamp") loyalty programs.

Why it matters: Uncertainty around loyalty program rules impacts hotels, lodging franchises, and millions of customers who rely on travel loyalty programs.

Next step: Treasury guidance would give hospitality companies the clarity they need to operate confidently.