Throughout the years, NACS Day on the Hill has changed with the times and provided members of the convenience and fuel retailing industry different avenues to tell their stories to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. This year, however, Day on the Hill wasn’t on Capitol Hill at all—or even in Washington. From March 23-24, NACS hosted its first-ever virtual Day on the Hill.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and security concerns, Capitol Hill has remained relatively quiet for over a year. Instead of flying to D.C., 178 retailers, suppliers and NACS staff gathered virtually from the comfort of their homes or offices to advocate on behalf of the c-store industry. Although the world has fundamentally changed during the past year, convenience remains an essential business in every community across the United States. Our story is one that will always need to be told.
Attendees met virtually with their legislators to discuss three issues that are currently top of mind to the industry: electric vehicle charging infrastructure, credit card swipe fees and liability protections for essential businesses.
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
The new Biden-Harris Administration has set a clear priority to accelerate our country’s transition to electric vehicles. One of the administration’s goals is to install at least 500,000 EV chargers across the nation. Our industry must be part of this conversation as Congress prepares to take up President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.
Convenience and fuel retailers want to provide drivers with whatever fuel powers their vehicles. We sell over 80% of the motor fuels in the U.S., across nearly 122,000 locations. Our industry is well-positioned to be part of the solution in moving transportation energy toward electrification. Allowing the private sector to compete on a level playing field is the best way to spur the development of electric charging infrastructure. It’s also the best way to ensure that vehicle owners get the best prices and experience over the long-term. Virtual Day on the Hill teams asked House and Senate members to ensure that any EV charging policies that come from an infrastructure package promote a competitive market and remove hurdles to private sector investment.
Credit Card Swipe Fees
U.S. credit card fees are the highest in the industrialized world. On Visa and Mastercard credit transactions, the average rate paid in the United States is 2.25% of the transaction amount, more than seven times what merchants pay in Europe. Retailers have no say either—only Visa and Mastercard set the swipe fee rates that major banks charge retailers to accept credit cards.
For many convenience retailers, swipe fees are their second-highest operating cost, right behind the cost of labor. Our industry has more than 150,000 convenience stores nationwide, 63% of which are single-store operators. These small businesses cannot thrive with the constant pressure created by increases in swipe fees. In their meetings, Virtual Day on the Hill attendees shared their personal experiences with lawmakers and asked them to support any legislation that would help retailers and bring competition to credit card swipe fees.
Liability Protections for Essential Businesses
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the convenience and fuel retailing industry was designated as essential critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security. Our industry committed to remaining open to meet the needs of communities across the United States. However, staying open has presented challenges. C-stores must comply with ever-changing guidance from the local, state and federal government. During Virtual Day on the Hill, retailers shared with lawmakers the extraordinary measures they took to protect employees and guests, including plexiglass shields, social distancing markers and increased cleaning and sanitation. However, they also explained that there is a threat that their stores could be targeted by unfounded lawsuits related to COVID-19 simply because they remained open. Such lawsuits would cost tens of thousands of dollars and could be devastating to our industry. Teams asked lawmakers not to give up on pursuing liability protections for essential businesses in future legislation.
Our industry is well-positioned to be part of the solution in moving transportation energy toward electrification.
Problem Solvers
Often in D.C., it’s tough to find members of Congress on opposite sides of the aisle who agree on any issue. The Problem Solvers Caucus was formed to bridge that gap. The 56-member caucus is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans and united in the idea that there are common sense solutions to many of our country’s toughest challenges. After the general session, Virtual Day on the Hill attendees had the opportunity to log on to the Friends of NACS Bipartisan Happy Hour and hear from Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), vice chair. They took attendee questions and even revealed their favorite c-store snacks. It was refreshing to hear both members provide honest answers about how they plan to work together to advance their priorities for the new Congress.
Our New Normal
Wednesday, March 24, was a rainy day in D.C. Virtual Day on the Hill attendees remarked that they appreciated avoiding the rain and giving their feet a rest this year from the usual running from office to office all over Capitol Hill. And, while there were a few growing pains at the start of the day, attendees became digital pros by the time they wrapped up their final meetings.
NACS is incredibly thankful that our members recognize that the industry’s story still needs to be told. Forty-six teams of retailers met with nearly 240 congressional offices. Freshman members were introduced to our industry, and veteran members stepped up to be our champions on the Hill.
Whether Day on the Hill will be virtual or in-person in 2022, we encourage you to join us and add your voice to effect positive changes for the industry. Day on the Hill isn’t the only way you can tell your story; if you’d like to get involved in our grassroots efforts, please contact Margaret Hardin at [email protected].