California Assembly Tables “Fair Franchising” Bill

The “Level Playing Field of Small Businesses Act” failed to gather the requisite votes to move past the California Assembly’s Business, Professions and Consumer Protections Committee. The controversial measure would have greatly extended protections to franchisees, but gathered significant opposition from franchisor groups including the International Franchise Association. While the measure will be tabled for now, we expect similar legislation to be reintroduced in the future. The bill received four votes in favor, three votes against, and two abstentions. For a summary of the proposed legislation, see the previous issue of our Franchise Law Newsletter.