Support the american franchise Act!

Franchising fuels over 831,000 businesses, empowering first-time and minority entrepreneurs. But the shifting joint employer standard has created costly uncertainty, threatening family-owned restaurants, gyms, salons, and more.

Congress can fix this by passing the American Franchise Act. The legislation will establish a clear, permanent standard to protect small businesses, create jobs, and safeguard entrepreneurship.

Congress: Keep the American dream local. Pass the American Franchise Act!

Protect Local Businesses. Support the American Franchise Act!

Franchise businesses are locally owned, and community grown. But the rules that govern them keep changing.

The joint employer standard, which defines when two businesses share responsibility for employees, is fundamental to the success of the franchise model. Because it is a regulation, not a law, it is subject to change with every new administration.

The joint employer standard has changed four times in 10 years, creating chaos and risk for local business owners. After the first change in 2015, legal expenses went, costing an estimated 376,000 jobs.

Now, without action, a pending lawsuit could once again change the standard.

Congress must act now to protect small businesses and enable their future growth. Pass the American Franchise Act to defend these local business owners and community leaders, and the opportunity that awaits.

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Who we are

The Coalition to Save Local Businesses is a broad alliance of locally owned, independent businesses, associations, and organizations united in support of a fair, consistent, and transparent joint employer standard that reaffirms the independence of local franchise owners.

For over a decade, America’s small businesses have been whipsawed by shifting regulations and policy reversals. It’s time for entrepreneurs and the workers who rely on them to receive the stability they deserve.

The Coalition urges Congress to pass the American Franchise Act -- clear, common-sense legislation that affirms a fundamental truth: franchisees are independent small business owners. It is essential to codify this clarity into law, to protect jobs, encourage entrepreneurship, and preserve the integrity of the franchise model.

We’re urging Congress to harness this unique opportunity to protect the people who took a chance on themselves, their employees, and their communities, and pass the American Franchise Act.