Skip to main content
Wyoming - Employment Relationships
2017 WY S.B. 94; Provides that neither a franchisee nor any employee of the franchisee shall be deemed to be an employee of the franchisor.
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2017/Introduced/SF0094.pdf
Virginia - Employment Relationships
2017 VA H.B. 1394; Passed HOUSE. To SENATE., Provides that neither a franchisee nor any employee of the franchisee shall be deemed to be an employee of the franchisor notwithstanding any voluntary agreement between the U.S. Department of Labor and the franchisee.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+ful+HB1394E+pdf
North Dakota - Protections for Farm Equipment Dealers
2017 ND S.B. 2289; Adds numerous protections for farm equipment dealers including, but not limited to, prohibiting minimum inventory requirements and exclusive facilities requirements, limiting warranty audits/chargebacks, defining a “substantial change in competitive circumstances” to include withdrawal of part of a product line, and others.
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/documents/17-0394-03000.pdf
Nebraska - Business and Labor
2017 NE L.B. 436; Changes the definition of employer to exclude franchisors for purposes of certain labor statutes.
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/105/PDF/Intro/LB436.pdf
Montana - Terminations
2017 MT S.B. 89; Provides that in determining good cause for termination of auto dealers, one factor that must be considered is the dealer’s sales in light of local market conditions.
http://leg.mt.gov/bills/2017/billpdf/SB0089.pdf
Minnesota - Commerce and Regulatory Reform
2017 MN H.B. 377; Provides that franchisors may not avoid misrepresentation claims by use of disclaimers in form agreements and adds non-renewal to the adverse actions that require good cause, specifically providing that: “All franchise relationships entered into on or after July 1, 2017, shall be deemed to be contracts of perpetual duration that are terminable only for good cause. A franchisor whose franchise agreement expires may require that a franchisee enter into the franchisor's then-current franchise agreement upon expiration, but the franchisee shall have a statutory right to renew upon expiration, even if the franchise agreement at issue contains no renewal right.”
http://wdoc.house.leg.state.mn.us/leg/LS90/HF0377.0.pdf
Massachusetts - Automotive Business Practices
2017 MA S.D. 1036; Provides for numerous additional auto dealer protections and provides that the prohibition on manufacturer direct sales applies whether or not a manufacturer has previously sold through independent dealers in the state.
https://foleydistributionlink.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2017-MA-S.D.1036-Text.pdf
Massachusetts - Employment Relationships
2017 MA S.D. 600; Provides that franchisors are not employers of franchisees.
https://foleydistributionlink.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2017-MA-S.D.600-Text.pdf
Illinois - Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices
2015 IL H.B. 2450; Provides that it is an unlawful practice for a manufacturer or distributor of prescription contact lenses to prevent a retailer from selling or advertising contact lenses below any specified price, i.e. no Colgate or MAP policies for contact lenses).
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/99/HB/PDF/09900HB2450lv.pdf
Georgia - Food & Beverage
2017 GA H.B. 60; Provides for distillers to sell limited quantities of products at retail and permits distiller owned food service establishments to be located on or contiguous to the licensed premises of a distiller.
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20172018/162836.pdf
