Summer/Fall Regional Trade Shows
This week the Advocacy team joined several other ABA staff members at the summer/fall regional trade shows.
ABA’s Director of Free Expression, Advocacy & Public Policy David Grogan appeared at NEIBA’s Fall Conference on a panel covering some of the pressing issues facing booksellers right now, like ADA website compliance lawsuits, swipe fee reform, and federal bills looking to censor books on race and gender.
At the panel discussion, Grogan noted the federal censorship bills did not appear to have any life at the present moment. “But with Halloween right around the corner...I view these bills like the killer in a horror movie,” he said. “Just when you think the killer is dead, when they’ve dumped five tons of dirt on him and you think there is no way they could still be alive...suddenly a hand pokes through the ground. We can’t have that happen with these bills. We need to make sure they stay dead by making sure our lawmakers know these bills are deal-breakers.”
He urged booksellers to go to BookWeb.org/Advocacy to reach out to their lawmakers.
Banned Books Week Social Media Display Contest
The 4th annual Banned Books Week Social Media Display Contest will take place this year! Start thinking of the best ways to use your Banned Books Week kits (which should arrive this week) to make an unforgettable display. Details will be featured in an upcoming edition of BTW.
Experiencing Harassment?
ABA has heard from a few stores who are experiencing harassment.
If your store is experiencing harassment, you can always reach out to [email protected] for assistance. You can also refer to resources like our Toolkit for Navigating Bookstore Harassment, Threats, and Intimidation.
ABA Joins Groups in Support of Rolling Back SBA’s Green Card Restrictions
ABA recently joined with Small Business Majority and a number of other organizations in strong support of S. J. Res. 202/H. J. Res. 207. The resolutions would roll back the latest version of the US Small Business Administration’s (SBA) harmful citizenship restrictions on the 7(a) and 504 loan programs eligibility for small businesses that are owned, or partly owned, by green card holders (lawful permanent residents).
On March 1, the SBA implemented changes to its lending guidelines that restrict access to entrepreneurship. The new loan eligibility criteria specifies that all direct and indirect owners of a small business must be US citizens or nationals with principal residence in the United States to be eligible for the 7(a) and 504 programs. Since April 1, these restrictions also apply to the agency’s Microloan and Surety Bond programs. These restrictions will have grave consequences for the small business community and the broader economy: in FY25 alone, green card holders received an estimated 5,700 loans through the 7(a) and 504 programs, totaling $5.7 billion and supporting more than 80,000 jobs.