ATLANTA, Georgia—AAHOA (Asian American Lodge Homeowners Affiliation), representing almost 20,000 lodge house owners and supporting 60 p.c of all U.S. accommodations, has joined greater than 100 enterprise, advocacy, and variety organizations in signing a coalition letter led by the Worldwide Franchise Affiliation (IFA) calling on Congress to help the bipartisan American Franchise Act (AFA), H.R. 5267.
The laws—which now has 51 bipartisan cosponsors within the U.S. Home of Representatives—goals to supply long-term readability to the joint-employer commonplace, a decade-long problem marked by shifting interpretations throughout presidential administrations. This back-and-forth has created uncertainty, elevated danger, and slowed development for franchise companies nationwide, together with 1000’s of AAHOA Member accommodations. The model anticipated to advance in Congress is the up to date redline model of the AFA, an improved draft developed collaboratively by the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, franchisee attorneys, IFA authorized counsel, and AAHOA. That is the model AAHOA absolutely helps.
The coalition emphasizes that the franchise enterprise mannequin generates roughly $900 billion in U.S. financial output and helps 8.8 million jobs, underscoring its important position in native communities.
“For greater than a decade, AAHOA Members have shouldered the results of an unstable joint-employer framework—larger authorized publicity, rising prices, and hesitancy from lenders and buyers,” mentioned AAHOA Chairman Kamalesh (KP) Patel. “This up to date redline model of the American Franchise Act lastly brings readability to what does—and doesn’t—cross the road into joint-employer territory. It protects franchisees, holds franchisors accountable in the event that they overstep, and prevents franchisors from utilizing joint-employer considerations as an excuse to roll again help and companies to house owners. This can be a honest and balanced repair that advantages small companies. AAHOA applauds Representatives Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Don Davis (D-NC) for his or her management, and we strongly help this model of the invoice. We urge Congress to maneuver swiftly so lodge house owners can deal with what they do greatest: serving friends, using native staff, and driving financial development in each nook of the nation.”
“AAHOA Members depend on a predictable regulatory atmosphere to develop their companies and create jobs, but they’ve endured years of regulatory whiplash that has made long-term planning almost not possible,” mentioned AAHOA President and Chief Govt Officer Laura Lee Blake. “The American Franchise Act establishes the clear, commonsense commonplace our business wants. With almost $900 billion in financial impression at stake, Congress should act decisively to guard the independence of small enterprise house owners and strengthen the spine of native communities. This laws isn’t simply well timed. It’s a linchpin for long-term stability.”
AAHOA joined 69 state associations and 33 nationwide organizations, together with franchisee teams, range organizations, and chambers of commerce, in urging Congress to enact the AFA. The coalition letter was addressed to Hern and Davis, who’ve been main advocates for advancing a sturdy, franchise-specific joint-employer commonplace in each chambers of Congress.
