The International Franchise Association (IFA) today announced the election of sixteen new franchise professionals to serve on its Board of Directors. The new directors, who will take their positions at the 2025 IFA Annual Convention in February, are comprised of franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers who will bring a variety of experience and expertise to carry out IFA’s mission to protect, enhance, and promote franchising.

“The final rule on negative options is the latest troubling example of this power-hungry FTC leaping without looking,” said Michael Layman, IFA senior vice president of government relations and public affairs. “The FTC has not conducted an empirical cost-benefit analysis to assess the proposed rule’s impact on small businesses, and yet it has hastily imposed this unnecessarily regulation that will hurt many franchise businesses and consumers alike by robbing them of convenience, time savings, a streamlined transaction experience, and lower costs. The rule not only disrupts a process that is working for the benefit of both consumers and small business owners, but also adds another layer of complexity into a system of billing already regulated by a host of federal and state regulations.”

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today endorsed nine bipartisan candidates ahead of the November election, applauding their leadership on pro-business policies supporting America’s locally owned franchise small businesses. Named a “Friend of Franchising,” IFA endorsed candidates running for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, following several primary endorsements earlier this year.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today applauded signature of California Senate Bill 919, bipartisan legislation extending disclosure requirements to third-party franchise sellers such as brokers, broker networks, and franchise sales organizations.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) and Franchise Update Media today announced an agreement to expand on the groups’ years of working together to deliver on events, content, and education to better serve the entire franchising community while carrying out each organization’s mission. IFA and Franchise Update Media intend to join under a single entity, while maintaining each organization’s individual brands, events, advisory groups, and organizational structures. 

The International Franchise Association (IFA) this week hosted nearly 350 franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers in Washington, D.C., to advocate for policies impacting the franchise business model while hearing from a number of lawmakers and political experts on the state of play in Washington ahead of the 2024 election. IFA also presented its bipartisan Legislator of the Year awards to six franchise champions in Congress.