Like much of 2020, grassroots advocacy looks a little different during COVID-19. Our world has adapted to working from home, and in the midst of all things virtual, NACS has had to pivot to remote advocacy. It is critical that Capitol Hill hears the convenience industry’s story as convenience retailers are designated essential businesses. There’s one problem though: During the pandemic we can no longer bring members of Congress and retailers into the same convenience store. So, we’ve decided to bring them together on the same computer screen.
Our new grassroots program, NACS Virtual Townhalls, easily connects retailers and their legislators for in-depth issue discussions. Through virtual meeting platforms, we’ve enabled a face-to-face dialogue where retailers can share how COVID-19 has affected their business. Members of Congress provide updates from Capitol Hill and valuable insight into what’s going on behind closed doors. Since April, we have hosted 17 Virtual Townhalls with members of Congress and retailers across the country. These opportunities to share our story have been invaluable, as Congress considers legislation in response to the crisis that will impact your businesses.
Conversation during a Virtual Townhall can vary from member to member, but there are two main issues discussed during each call: liability protections for essential businesses and tax incentives for frontline workers. Retailers showcase to their member of Congress all the steps they’ve taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. They put a face to their business and share their story and the struggles they’ve had during the pandemic. Since being designated as essential businesses at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, c-stores have taken extraordinary measures to protect both employees and customers from the spread of the disease. On each call, retailers explain that there is a real fear that convenience stores will become a target for unfounded lawsuits related to the pandemic simply because they stayed open. As of August 2020, over 4,200 lawsuits have already been filed in relation to COVID-19. These calls have been a great opportunity to explain our position and why essential businesses need liability relief.
NACS Virtual Town Halls enable retailers to meet with members of Congress and the NACS government relations team for in-depth discussions on issues that include liability protections for essential businesses and tax incentives for frontline workers.
Retailers also share the stories of their employees, who are essential workers heroically serving Americans during this crisis. Many c-stores have offered increased wages or paid bonuses for their employees, but not all businesses have or are able to do this. During the townhalls, retailers ask that the legislator support tax incentives, such as the AG CHAIN Act, which would exempt employees’ wages from federal income tax. That means more money would go directly into each employee’s pocket as a thank you for their heroic efforts.
As liability is one of our biggest issues, legislators on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and moderate Blue Dog Democrats have been our primary targets for Virtual Townhalls. Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03), a small business owner, has faced a lot of the same issues retailers have. Senator Josh Hawley (MO) took the opportunity to ask our retailers what specifically our industry would want in a potential liability bill and promised he’d take their message to Senate Leadership. After a townhall with Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Chris Bambury, vice president of Bambury Inc., said he found the meeting to be exceptional. “[It was] more rewarding than all the congressional office visits I’ve done with our members over the last six years,” he said.
In a recent @NACSGR campaign, retailers tweeted at their legislators to address the importance of liability protections for the convenience retailing industry.
As our world gets used to the “virtual new normal,” these calls have provided an incredibly unique experience where small groups of retailers can have one-on-one, uninterrupted access to their legislator. Both retailers and members of Congress have found NACS Virtual Townhalls meaningful and valuable, and we plan to keep them a part of our grassroots toolkit for many years to come. Not even a pandemic can keep us from sharing our story!
If you’re interested in participating in a Virtual Townhall, contact Margaret Hardin at [email protected].