The Franchisees Fairness Act seeks to create a balance in the relationship between franchisees also known as franchise operators and franchisors also known as franchise owners.

Today, the inherent imbalance in power between franchisors and franchisees has yielded an environment where franchisees have fewer rights than do most employees and at the same time bear more business and financial risk than do the franchisors who take the lionshare of the monies earned through these top-heavy business arrangements.

If implemented, The Franchisees Fairness Act would to create an environment where small business owners (franchisees) can utilize the same state and federal governmental agencies that employed individuals can call upon to address their grievances.

Amongst but not limited to, we ask that franchisees be allowed access to the following agencies:

* EEOC, Departments of Labors, state Divisions of Human Rights, and other agencies that employees can utilize to address illegal, egregious and unethical behaviors or franchise owners.

We ask that franchisors be required to reports for at least 3 years following any complaint, all complaints lodged against them by franchisees.

We ask that the reporting structure of the better business bureau be expanded to include reports of inappropriate behaviors by franchisors.

We ask that franchisors be required to provide annual financial documentation to all franchisees regardless of their business organization designation (sole proprietor, llc, C or S Corporation) Furthermore, we ask that franchisors be required to provide an annual accounting of total principal and interest payments made by franchisees to franchisors.

Finally, we ask that violations of any of these requirements result in a fine of no less than $1000 per occurrence.