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August 6, 2025

Scott Jennings To Headline Advocacy Summit

You’ve seen him on CNN, and now you can hear directly from Scott Jennings – renowned political strategist, CNN commentator, and former presidential advisor – at the 2025 IFA Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

Why this matters: As the keynote of this year’s star-studded line-up, Jennings will unpack the Trump administration’s policy agenda and explore its wide-ranging impact on economic growth, foreign affairs, and domestic priorities. With his signature insight and candid analysis, he’ll shed light on how today’s political trends could shape the future of franchising, small businesses, and the broader American economy.

What’s next: With the event just weeks away, reserve your spot today to hear from Jennings, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, and many more as your voice helps advance pro-franchise policies on Capitol Hill! Check back here for more exciting updates to the speaker lineup.

IFA Hosts Tax Law Briefing

You are invited to learn everything you need to know about the new federal tax law on IFA’s member briefing on August 14 at 2:00 PM EDT.

Zoom in: The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law last month, has numerous provisions that will impact your business’s bottom line. The August 14 program will be headlined by IFA’s Haider Murtaza and Citrin Cooperman’s Andy Tarquinio, Michael Iannuzzi, Steve Hurok, and Aaron Chaitovsky.

Zoom in: Topics will range from key tax updates, how to avoid costly compliance missteps, and practical takeaways to optimize your financial strategy.

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Tacoma City Council Agrees To Bypass Labor Initiative Deadline

What Happened: In a recent study session, the Tacoma City Council agreed to surpass the statutory deadline for placing Initiative 2 on the November ballot. Instead, the City is planning for a Labor Standards Task Force for a "community-led" solution by November, aiming to adopt the new labor standards via ordinance.

Why it Matters: Key provisions proposed in Initiative 2 could significantly impact franchisees. Under the initiative, an "employer" is defined by the employee count of all franchisees associated with a franchise network in aggregate, subjecting these independently owned and operated establishments to "big business" regulations, including minimum wage increases, restrictive scheduling, and other burdensome compliance measures. 

What's Next: The council has moved up their originally proposed deadline for taking action to Friday, Aug. 8, where the Council is expected to forward their plan to the County Auditor. IFA and its coalition partners continue to speak with council members, and the mayor to oppose the Initiative and will continue engaging throughout the process.

Franchisee Freedom Act Introduced

On July 22, U.S. Representatives Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) introduced the Franchisee Freedom Act, which would grant individuals a federal private right of action to directly sue their franchisors for violations of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Franchise Rule.

Why it matters: The Franchisee Freedom Act is based on enforcement of an outdated franchise disclosure process in need of modernization, as noted by dozens of members of Congress in a letter to the FTC.

What’s next: Referred to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the bill lacks a Senate companion. IFA will continue educating lawmakers of the urgent need for the FTC to complete its review of the Franchise Rule and modernize franchise disclosure requirements consistent with currently available technology and information digitization prior to enacting new enforcement mechanisms.