IFA Advocacy Summit Hosts Record-Setting Crowd

Nearly 600 members of the franchise community traveled to Washington, DC, last week for the 2026 IFA Advocacy Summit as momentum builds to protect and advance the franchise business model behind the American Franchise Act (AFA).

A record number of franchisees, franchisors, and suppliers gathered for the three-day event to learn about the latest legislative and policy developments affecting the franchising industry before heading to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and advocate for the industry’s priorities. Support for the American Franchise Act was a central focus of this year’s Summit, as its passage would provide long-needed certainty on joint employer rules following a decade of regulatory changes.

In his opening remarks to a capacity crowd at the general session, International Franchise Association president and CEO Matt Haller stressed the importance of the American Franchise Act and the urgency of getting it passed in the coming months.

“The Act has more than 150 co-sponsors, and that support crosses party lines in a way that very little else in Washington does right now,” said Haller. “We've spent two years building toward this exact moment — two years of meetings, data, grassroots organizing, and relationship-building — and we now have roughly four months left in this calendar year to get a bipartisan bill across the finish line. We knew from the outset that this would be a two-year campaign, and we're in the final stretch of it. There will be plenty of noise this fall about the state of the elections and what that means for the legislative calendar. We can't control any of that. What we can control is what happens in this building this week. Our task is singular – to secure a firm commitment to a vote before the end of the year.”

The second day of the Summit featured three general sessions and a ceremony honoring 89 individuals as the IFA’s Franchisees of the Year. The first session featured a panel discussion with Celebree Schools CEO Richie Huffman and Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski, Jr. Huffman highlighted the clarity the American Franchise Act would provide on the joint-employer issue. Olszewski encouraged attendees preparing to head to Capitol Hill the following day to share their entrepreneurial stories with members of Congress and provide firsthand insight into how franchising works.

The next panel featured a conversation with former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who reflected on his experience as a small business owner while in college. He suggested franchisees invite their local members of Congress to visit their businesses and build relationships with lawmakers in their districts.

The second general session opened with a discussion between the two past chairs of the IFA’s board of directors, BNI CEO Mary Kennedy Thompson and former Great Clips CEO Steve Hockett, about the two-year effort behind the American Franchise Act. Hockett said following the 2024 election, the IFA sought to capitalize on the change in government leadership and “go big” in building bipartisan support for legislation addressing the joint-employer standard.

Thompson said a key goal of the American Franchise Act is to foster a better understanding of franchisees as local business owners who play an important role in their communities. Drawing on her experience as both a franchisor and a franchisee, Thompson emphasized the distinction between the two roles and explained how the AFA would help preserve franchise owners’ operational independence.

The last session of the day featured a one-on-one conversation between Haller and Alice Fulwood, U.S. business and finance editor for The Economist. Earlier this year, Fulwood wrote an article titled “Franchising Has Quietly Made Countless Americans Rich,” which explored how individuals can build wealth by becoming part of a larger, national franchise system. During the session, she discussed the franchise model’s track record of success over several decades and its potential to remain resilient and adaptable as businesses navigate the rise of artificial intelligence.

On the final day of the Summit, more than 500 members of the franchise community headed to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and advocate for passage of the American Franchise Act. The record turnout underscored the breadth of support within the franchise community for the legislation and marked a significant moment in the industry’s ongoing effort to establish long-term certainty around the joint-employer standard. 

“Advocacy doesn't happen from the sidelines,” said Haller. “It happens because people show up, and this week, franchising showed up in numbers we've never seen before.”