April 2024: Advocacy Updates

Federal Level

• LLF was proud to be an indie-biz advocacy group to co-host a recent virtual Town Hall with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which recently shared a recap and link to view the recording:  
  
  "Hundreds of independent businesses from across the country tuned into a virtual town hall – Small Businesses vs. Monopoly Power: Our Recent Wins and the Hurdles Ahead – to mark progress and build momentum to rein in monopoly power and level the playing field for small, independent businesses. Featuring Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, this event provided a deep dive into important anti-monopoly actions the agency has taken under Chair Khan’s leaders that directly impact small businesses. 
   
  Chair Khan took questions and addressed a range of concerns from independent businesses – from the ways corporate middlemen drive community pharmacists out of the market to the harms that dominant online platforms impose on the small businesses that depend on them and the unfair and illegal pricing practices that harm independent grocers and wholesalers."
  
  Watch the Town Hall.
  
  

• Via the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN):  

  The USDA’s new Agricultural Census showed some shocking trends and glimmers of hope, which ASBN explained in a recent post: 

  "The number of farms has declined, but large farms continue to consolidate and expand. The top 1% of farms now account for 42% of U.S. agricultural sales. Consolidation has led to the concentration of commodities, with nearly three-fourths of farmland dedicated to oil seed (like soybeans), grains, or cattle production. Despite increased demand for organics, the number of organic producers has declined, leading to a greater reliance on imports.  

  The system is not working for most of the supply chain, including consumers, specialty crop farmers, and small and historically disadvantaged producers. USDA policy incentivizes large-scale conventional commodity farming, leaving us more dependent on imports and more vulnerable to supply chain disturbances." 

  Protecting local and regional supply chains is imperative for national security.
  
  Take action: Sign the letter. 
  
  

• The City of Charleston is seeking input from minority and women-owned businesses across the region to further understand how the City can advance strategies that promote a more equitable business environment on the Charleston Peninsula (and beyond!) Click here to take the survey. Results will be included in the City's Peninsula Plan.
• ICYMI: The Union Pier peninsular development project has new ownership in the works. Read more here from the Post and Courier. We will keep you informed as the community engagement evolves.
  
  

• “Amazon’s Big Secret”, by Stacy Mitchell for The Atlantic