States Taking on Swipe Fee Reform No longer waiting for the US Congress to act, several states are taking on swipe fee reform. A number of states have introduced legislation to prohibit swipe fees on sales tax. Booksellers in the following states should have received emails asking them to contact their state lawmakers in support of the bills: California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont. Trump Fires Two Democratic FTC Commissioners On March 18, President Trump fired two Democratic commissioners, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), prompting criticism from Democratic senators and anti-monopoly groups who believe it undermines the agency’s independence and empowers large corporations, according to Reuters. Bedoya and Slaughter plan to sue, claiming the firings were illegal. ABA will continue to monitor the situation to see how it may impact the FTC's ongoing lawsuit against Amazon, as well as other things that may be relevant to independent bookstores. Free Expression Support American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) has been in contact with four stores facing free expression challenges in Nebraska, Washington, and Delaware. Many stores have been receiving unusual bulk orders that we believe are intended as harassment, so a reminder: you have the right to fulfill or not fulfill orders as you wish. Please reach out to [email protected] when you are experiencing harassment or other free expression challenges. Florida SB 1692 Florida’s latest book ban bill, SB 1692, passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee 6–3. Thank you to the booksellers who organized against it. The bill was amended, moving it from the criminal code to the education code, which effectively removes its possible impact on booksellers. Still, the bill is a disaster for education in the state and could impact school orders by making it harder for schools to acquire books. You have another chance to speak out when the bill hits the Education Committee, probably next week. PEN America Legislative Advocacy Event Thanks to PEN America for inviting ABFE to join the event on legislative advocacy last night! It was a pleasure to speak to so many readers who want to speak up for books and see our friends from PEN and EveryLibrary. We will post a link to the event recording when it is available. |
