Media Center

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today released the following statement on the final, amended version of Arkansas HB 1783, legislation that could have devastated franchise operations in the state and hurt consumer choice. The amended bill, which is now only a technical change to existing statute after significant local business opposition, passed last week and was signed into law today.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) brought its 2023 Open for Opportunity Roadshow to the Dallas-Fort Worth area this week. The Roadshow stop included a roundtable discussion on the state of franchising in Texas, a meeting on investing in Hispanic and Latino businesses in partnership with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber, and a conversation on supporting veterans in franchising held at the Irving headquarters of Neighborly, the world’s largest home services company. Franchise small business owners, elected officials, and business and community leaders discussed the impact of franchising has on North Texas communities and how the industry can continue to support economic development in the region.

IFA today released the following statement on the Small Business Administration (SBA)’s publication of the final rule changing how affiliation is determined for the purpose of identifying SBA lending program eligibility and the elimination of the Federal Franchise Directory.

Over 110 local businesses in Arkansas have signed onto a letter urging the Arkansas State Legislature to reject HB 1783, outlining concerns about the proposed legislation that would significantly alter how franchises operate, deterring franchises from opening in Arkansas, and negatively impacting consumer choice.

We are writing in opposition to HB 1783. This legislation has far-reaching and harmful ramifications for franchisors, franchisees, and the contributions of these small and large businesses on the Arkansas economy. HB 1783 is a way to use the legislature to resolve a dispute between parties to private contracts in favor of one side. HB 1783 represents government overreach in its most obvious form, by inserting the state into commercial contracts freely entered by two private parties. If enacted, the proposed legislation would significantly alter the franchise relationship and institute the most extreme franchise regulation of any state, placing it far beyond the onerous regulatory regimes of California and New York.

In a hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, franchise owner Jerry Akers testified on behalf of the International Franchise Association (IFA) today sharing the ongoing workforce challenges facing franchise business owners, the continued path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and his significant concerns with policies such as the PRO Act that could diminish his business and employees.