Attendees from around the world gathered in D.C. for three days of advocacy, hearing from Cabinet officials, bipartisan Members of Congress, and business leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Franchise Association (IFA) this week hosted over 400 franchise leaders, owners, and advocates in Washington, D.C. for the annual IFA Advocacy Summit, held September 15–17. This year’s Summit marked a historic milestone with last week’s introduction of the American Franchise Act, bipartisan legislation to protect the independence of more than 831,000 franchise small businesses nationwide.

“This year’s Advocacy Summit was the most powerful ever with the introduction of the American Franchise Act and an incredible lineup of speakers reinforcing the broad coalition of support for franchising,” said Matthew Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association. “The voices of franchisees and franchisors were heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill – with a unified message for strong bipartisan support for the franchise business model. Together, we are showing lawmakers that franchising is a proven pathway to entrepreneurship, opportunity, and the American Dream – and we are one step closer to the American Franchise Act becoming law.”

Featured speakers at the Summit included:

• U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer
• U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler
• U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS)
• U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Don Davis (D-NC) and Kevin Hern (R-OK)
• CNN Contributor and political strategist Scott Jennings
• Entrepreneur and ResiBrands Co-Founder Codie Sanchez
• Mary Kennedy Thompson, IFA Chair of the Board and CEO of BNI
• Matthew Haller, IFA President & CEO

The event comes on the heels of strong bipartisan introduction of the American Franchise Act, which was introduced on Sept. 10, 2025, by seven Republican and seven Democratic lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Don Davis, one of the bill’s lead cosponsors, spoke at both the event and on the U.S. House floor on the bill, saying, “Congress must provide stability for the franchise model of small business by aligning federal statute and long standing precedent. HR 5267 ends the uncertainty, ensuring owners have the clarity they need to keep hiring and investing in communities across our country. It’s about fairness, opportunity, and ensuring entrepreneurs from every walk of life have a real shot at living the American dream.”

The 3-day event also featured a meeting at the White House, a reception at IFA’s new headquarters and concluded with the Congressional Franchise Caucus Reception at Google’s Washington, DC office – all reinforcing the strength and unity of the franchise sector, providing members with training, networking, and direct engagement with policymakers.

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About the International Franchise Association:

Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 831,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.8 million direct jobs, $896.9 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.