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Trump Administration Signals Support for American Franchise Act
During a keynote address at the International Franchise Association's 2026 Advocacy Summit, Vince Haley, the White House Director of Domestic Policy Council, announced the full support of the Trump Administration for the bipartisan American Franchise Act (AFA).
Speaking Tuesday before hundreds of members of the franchise community at historic Union Station, Haley declared: "I want to say up front, I know the biggest item on the agenda at this gathering is driving momentum for passage of the American Franchise Act. I think you already know this, but I want to assure you that the Trump Administration fully supports this bill, and no matter what happens this year, we have to get it done this year."
Franchise Leaders Converge on Capitol Hill to Push Joint Employer Bill
Franchisees, franchisors and suppliers are in Washington, D.C., this week urging lawmakers to advance the American Franchise Act, the industry's top federal legislative priority.
The International Franchise Association's Advocacy Summit runs Sept. 14-16 in Washington, bringing franchise owners to Capitol Hill to meet directly with members of Congress. The centerpiece of those meetings is the American Franchise Act, H.R. 5267, which would set a single federal standard for when a franchisor can be treated as a joint employer of a franchisee's workers.
Attendees are pressing for a consistent standard after the definition of joint employer changed repeatedly over the past decade, with different administrations taking different approaches through the National Labor Relations Board. The bill would specify that a franchisor would be considered a joint employer only if it exercises substantial, direct and immediate control over essential terms such as wages, hours, hiring and discipline. The legislation is limited to the franchisor-franchisee relationship and would not change the FTC Franchise Rule or state franchise laws.
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IFA Advocacy Summit 2026: American Franchise Act Reaches 142 Co-Sponsors
The 2026 IFA Advocacy Summit opened September 14 in Washington, D.C., bringing more than 400 franchise industry leaders to Capitol Hill at a pivotal moment for federal legislation. The central agenda: the American Franchise Act, a bipartisan bill with 142 House co-sponsors and a companion Senate measure that would lock in a federal standard for joint employer determinations after a decade of shifting rules.
The International Franchise Association holds its annual Advocacy Summit each fall, bringing franchisors, franchisees, franchise companies and industry suppliers together for two days of congressional meetings and policy briefings. The 2026 edition, running through September 16 at Union Station in Washington, D.C., arrives at what the IFA describes as one of the most consequential moments in the industry’s legislative history.
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