American Franchise Act Draws 142 Co-Sponsors Ahead of IFA Summit

The American Franchise Act has picked up 142 co-sponsors in Congress, according to L'Express Franchise, a milestone the International Franchise Association will spotlight at its Advocacy Summit in 2026.

The co-sponsor count matters. In the House, 142 signatures signal that the bill has cleared the threshold typically needed to demonstrate serious legislative momentum. For the IFA, which has spent years pushing federal protections for franchise relationships, the number gives the association concrete proof of traction when it convenes franchisees, franchisors and lobbyists in Washington.

The legislation's name frames its ambition. An "American Franchise Act" implies a national standard for how franchisors and franchisees contract with one another — territory that U.S. franchising has historically governed through private agreements, state disclosure rules and the Federal Trade Commission's franchise rule rather than a dedicated federal statute.

The timing is deliberate. The IFA's Advocacy Summit exists to put franchise operators in front of the lawmakers who decide such bills. Releasing the 142-co-sponsor figure in the run-up to the 2026 event turns the summit into both a celebration of progress and a recruitment drive for the remaining votes needed to move the Act through committee and to the floor.

For the franchise sector, the stakes are straightforward. Franchising spans thousands of brands and hundreds of thousands of locally owned outlets across the United States, and any federal framework governing franchise rights, renewal terms or dispute resolution would reshape contracts industry-wide.

The count of 142 co-sponsors sets the benchmark advocates will measure against in coming months: every additional signature the IFA secures at the summit strengthens the case that the American Franchise Act can advance beyond introduction to an actual vote.