The Staff and Board of the Georgia Retail Association wish you a Happy and Joyous Holiday and Prosperous New Year.

                                                   “When Retail Works, Georgia Works”

New Address and Telephone Numbers

Effective December 29, 2009, the Georgia Retail Association will have a new address and telephone numbers. Please make the changes in your records.

Georgia Retail Association
7165 Havenridge Way
McDonough, GA 30253-8510
678-814-4176
678-814-4178 (fax)
678-523-1765 (cell)
www.georgiaretail.org

ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program Webinar Recap

The Georgia ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program will begin on February 12, 2010.

For the retailers who could not participate we recorded the live webinar held on Tuesday, December 15 you may click on the link below to view the live recording from that webinar with Q&A session.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/459703185

Some Questions and responses to that webinar appear below.

Q: Can a customer register for the rebate prior to buying the appliance?
A: No. The customer buys the appliance and then applies for the rebate after purchase.

Q: Could a customer buy an appliance and not receive a rebate?
A: Yes, it is a first come, first serve program. Retailers can help manage customer expectations by checking rebate funds at GeorgiaRebate.com and encouraging the customer to apply immediately after purchase. The rebate value is "reserved" for 30 days for that customer.

Q: Will you require a serial number for the rebate application process?

A: No. We don't want to hold up the application for consumers who might have appliances delivered.

Q: Will GEFA have POS materials available?
A: GEFA has posted a Retailers Guide for this program at www.GeorgiaRebate.com

Q: What is Georgia's definition of proper recycling?
A: Georgia is requiring that all refrigerators and freezers be recycled to properly remove the CFCs and HFCs.

New Speaker of the House of Representatives Elected

David Ralston (below) was elected as the new Speaker of the House, narrowly defeating Larry O'Neal on Thursday, December 17, 2009.

Speaker Ralston had previously served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, a position in which he served when tort reform was passed several sessions ago.

He is currently serving his third term in the House of Representatives. Last session he served as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and on the Appropriations, Rules and Transportation Committees.

Representative Ralston resides in Blue Ridge and represents District 7. He served as a Georgia State Senator from 1992-1998. Also in 1998, Chairman Ralston was the Republican nominee for the Georgia Attorney General.

Jan Jones, who served last session as the House Majority Whip (right), was elected as the new Speaker Pro Tempore, replacing Mark Burkhalter. She will be the first female Speaker Pro Tempore. She has been an effective whip for the Republican majority in the House and is use to providing leadership, at least for the Republican majority.

Speaker Pro Tempore Jones serves on the Rules Committee, the Appropriations Committee, on the Education Subcommittee, which budgets for Pre-K, K-12, teachers retirement and the Professional Standards Board totaling 44 percent of Georgia's state budget, on the Re-Apportionment Committee and last session as Whip as an ex officio member of all House Committees.

Representative Ed Lindsey was elected as Majority Whip, defeating John Lundsford.

Majority Whip Lindsey was first elected in 2004 to the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the Buckhead and Sandy Springs communities.

He serves as Chair of the House Appropriations Sub Committee on Education, and on the Appropriations, Judiciary, Education, and Industrial Relations Committees, as well as acting as Co Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. In addition, Representative Lindsey has been appointed as one of Georgia's Commissioners to the Uniform Law Commission and is Vice Chairman of the Georgia Child Support Commission.

Ralston and Jones will have to be confirmed by the House, but that is seen as a formality since the Republicans control that body.

Police Arrest Six for Smash and Grab Thefts

Police arrest 6 gang members for smash-and-grab burglaries

On Tuesday, December 15, Atlanta police arrested six alleged members of the "30 Deep" gang in connection with recent smash-and-grab burglaries in the metro area.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has identified and charged four adults with a string of smash and grab robberies at high-end retail stores. They are Tavorris Seays, Javorris Redding, Tomarkus Thomas and Johnquavious. Two juveniles were also arrested; however their names have not been released. The six were caught as they tried to steal a vehicle in southeast Atlanta at 2:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Otis Redmond of the Atlanta Police Department said three of the suspects had arrest warrants for thefts at a Radio Shack store on Metropolitan Parkway and Georgio's Big and Tall men's store in Greenbriar Mall.

Last week, thieves stole jeans, cash and coats made from the skins of exotic animals from the Georgio's store. Among the items stolen were 12 coats made out of the skins of ostrich, alligator and stingray, ranging in price from $4,000 to $8,000.

One of the juveniles arrested was also believed to be involved in a November burglary at eModa, a Midtown clothing boutique that had also been broken into several times earlier this year.

Atlanta police investigators believe that these are the same subjects that have been involved in the recent flat screen television thefts and the smash and grab thefts at Saks Fifth Avenue at Discover Mills, since items stolen at Discover Mills in Lawrenceville, Georgia were also recovered during Tuesday's arrest.

The complete coverage by the Atlanta Journal Constitution can be found at:
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/police-arrest-6-gang-241639.html?cxtype=rss_news_81963

Concealed Weapon Law Rewrite

House Bill 615 - Expansion of Carry Privileges in Georgia sponsored by representatives Tim Bearden, Republican 68th, Billy Horne, Republican 71st, Rick Austin, Republican 10th, Alan Powell, Democrat 29th, Sean Jerguson, Republican 22nd, and Bobby Reese, Republican 98th, would expand the individual's rights to carry a weapon outside of one's home, motor vehicle, or place of business, with a carry permit. Under the language of the bill, a weapon may not be concealed by the person´s clothing, handbag, purse, attaché case, briefcase, or other closed container unless they have a permit. However, any person who has been issued a license to carry a concealed weapon would be permitted to carry such weapon virtually everywhere but in a court house jail, or prison or federal building, including all parks, historic sites, and recreational areas and in all wildlife management areas.

Language dating from the 1800's forbidding the carrying of weapons at a "public gathering" would also be repealed by the bill. "Public gatherings' are defined as athletic or sporting events, churches or church functions, political rallies or functions, publicly owned or operated buildings, or establishments at which alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises and which derive less than 50 percent of their total annual gross food and beverage sales from the sale of prepared meals or food, and college campuses.

That means that persons holding a valid carry permit (license) could enter any store or restaurant with their weapons.

The process of obtaining a carry license would also be changed from the judge of a probate court as the issuer of a carry permit to the Secretary of State. The fee for the license would be $15.00, for a renewable permit valid for a period of five years, or $40.00 for a permanent lifetime license.

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/hb615.htm

Senate Amendment Would Remove Waiting Period Penalties from Health Care Reform Bill

The U.S. Senate is currently debating the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, sponsored by Majority Leader Harry Reid. One provision of the bill would penalize employers who do not provide insurance to make full-time workers eligible immediately. Employers would face a penalty of $400 if a worker was not eligible after 30 days, and a $600 penalty after 60 days.

However, Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, has offered an amendment which would remove the onerous penalties on employers who require workers to wait more than 30 days to become eligible for health insurance coverage. Her amendment would provide greater flexibility to employers - especially retailers - to manage their workforce.

Since retailers have high turnover rates and employ large numbers of seasonal workers her amendment is a significant addition to the bill. Under her proposal, employers would be able to offer lesser or no waiting periods, but would be prohibited from requiring waiting periods longer than 90 days.

Other senators cosponsoring the amendment are Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat from Arkansas and Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia.

The payments will go to about 635,000 merchants, with each one's share based on their volume of signature debit card transactions during the period covered by the lawsuit.

Retailers can see details about the distribution plan on the lawsuit at: website.http://nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=852

Save Ten Percent On Loss Prevention Services




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Contact Robert Ross at 770-426-7593 or rross@losspreventionsystems.com

Mention this ad and receive a 10% discount.

Quote to Ponder

"Goodness makes greatness truly valuable, and greatness makes goodness much more serviceable." Matthew Henry, English nonconformist clergyman

Thank you,

John C. Heavener, MSM, CAE
President, Georgia Retail Association

For More Information Contact:
johnh@georgiaretail.org
Telephone – 770-484-3449, ext. 21
Toll Free - (877) 427-3824
Fax – 770-484-5727
www.georgiaretail.org

About GRA: The Georgia Retail Association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, and grocery stores has been serving the state’s business community since 1961. The Georgia Retail Association represents an industry with more than 71,300 retail establishments, and more than 715,000 employees - about one in five of Georgia’s workers – with annual sales of more than $115 billion.

Printer Friendly CRR December 18, 2009