PRESENTED BY:

March 12, 2025

Secretary of Labor Sworn In

Yesterday, IFA President and CEO Matt Haller attended the White House swearing-in ceremony for Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the nation’s 29th U.S. Secretary of Labor, who was confirmed on March 10 in a bipartisan U.S. Senate vote of 67-32.

Why it matters: IFA has supported Chavez-DeRemer for her defense of the franchise model and promise to enact the Trump Administration’s growth agenda at the Labor Department, which enforces laws that affect every franchise business including minimum wage and overtime.

Go deeper: Ahead of the Senate vote confirming Chavez-DeRemer, IFA’s Haller penned an op-ed in the Washington Reporter praising her dedication to the franchise model, stating, “When the future of Main Street franchises was on the line, Lori Chavez-DeRemer stood with the 830,000 franchised small businesses and their 9 million employees. That’s why we have her back now and believe she is the right person to enable the franchise business model to reach even new heights.” 

IFA Improves Utah Franchise Bill

On March 7, Utah legislators passed HB 441 that included an IFA-backed amendment to limit unintended consequences for Utah franchises. The legislation now awaits the governor's signature.

Big picture: The legislation will prohibit mid-contract updates to any existing Utah franchise agreement that attempts to change required franchisee operating hours if the update conflicts with a deeply held religious belief of the franchisee. 

Zoom out: After significant opposition in the House and Senate, IFA worked closely with the sponsor and Senate leadership on a host of amendments, marking a vast improvement over where the legislation started. View IFA's House testimony here and Senate testimony here.

Learn About Franchising's 2025 Outlook

Have questions about the current economic environment? Join IFA on March 18 for an exclusive member briefing discussing IFA’s recently released 2025 Franchising Economic Outlook. 

Go deeper: The expert panel, including Michael Layman (IFA), Darrell Johnson (FRANdata), and Rocco Fiorentino (Benetrends), will explore key insights from IFA’s annual report, including 2025 projections that franchising will grow at a 2.4% rate this year, create 210,000 new jobs, and produce $936 billion in franchise output. 

What’s next: Don’t miss this chance to learn and ask questions about how to set your business up for success in 2025. Register now.

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IFA Supports SBA Nominations

In a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business, IFA announced support for the nominations of William Briggs as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Professor Casey Mulligan as Chief Counsel for the Office of Advocacy for the SBA.

Why it matters: Franchise businesses receive nearly 20 percent of SBA-backed lending programs, which are critical to the success of many new franchises.

Our thought bubble: With experience in both the private and public sectors, Briggs and Mulligan are proven advocates for the franchise model, and we look forward to working with both to protect locally owned franchise businesses.

Government Funding Update

Yesterday, March 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through September 30, 2025. 

The big picture: The move is a key step in averting a March 14 deadline that could have led to a government shutdown this week and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Importance to you: Passing this spending resolution is crucial to avoiding delays in extending the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that expire at year’s end.