AN UPDATE ON HFA’S EFFORTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

A Busy Spring for State-Level Action

The HFA advocacy team makes advances in the weeks leading to the DC Fly-In.

On the eve of the HFA Fly-In and Advocacy Summit, the HFA advocacy team was busy in state capitals around the country. On the agenda were a number of bills proposed by state lawmakers that affected the industry, including legislation that HFA leaders helped to draft. HFA also hosted the first-ever state advocacy Fly-In in Sacramento, CA, on May 18-19.

Charles Regnante

HFA Senior Manager of Government Affairs

California: First State Fly-In Draws Support for Four Initiatives

On May 18-19, HFA held its inaugural Sacramento Fly-In, bringing together HFA member fitness facility operators and industry partners with lawmakers at the California state capital.

The event was a great opportunity to continue forming relationships with policymakers while making sure the health and fitness industry has a strong voice at the table. HFA thanks assemblymembers Mia Bonta, David Tangipa, and Heath Flora for their support. The Fly-In also included a community workout hosted by Orangetheory Fitness, where Fly-In participants trained with state lawmakers.

HFA supports the following measures in the California Assembly:

• The Cold Spa Modernization Bill (AB 2330) addresses regulations that have long placed unrealistic operational demands on fitness facilities offering cold-water therapies. HFA successfully removed provisions that would have mandated daily drain-and-fill cycles and required the involvement of a medical director—requirements the industry considered unworkable. The bill continues to advance.

• The CA Price Caps Bill (AB 2402) targets a restriction that many in the industry have found difficult to defend: an outdated $4,400 membership price cap that limits consumer choice and constrains the ability of clubs to offer premium products. The bill to lift that cap has already passed the full Assembly with strong bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate.

• CA PHIT Act (AB 2533) would make employer-provided fitness benefits tax-free at the state level, an idea with broad appeal in a wellness-minded state.

• Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA ). HFA has been advocating for common-sense reforms to PAGA that would reduce exposure to predatory legal action against clubs and studios.

Fly-In attendees gather in Sacramento.

(l to r) Regnante, 24 Hour VP of Fitness Derek Gallup, In Shape SVP of Operations and Sales James Allen, and In Shape Director of Partnerships Scott Himenes.

HFA staff and attendees hold a strategy session.

A briefing before meeting with policymakers.

Regnante gets in a workout at an HFA member facility.

State-Level Action

Along with racking up frequent flyer miles, the HFA advocacy team met with state representatives and their staff, HFA member operators, and other stakeholders who believe in the mission of exercise as medicine. The results demonstrate that persistent, relationship-based advocacy can help accomplish new policy goals while stopping harmful legislation before it becomes law. Here’s a rundown.

Michigan Makes Strides in Supporting

On May 12, HFA Senior Manager of State Affairs Cassie Losey traveled to Lansing for Michigan Moves Day at the Capitol, a milestone event in the launch of the Michigan Physical Activity Plan (MPAP).

MPAP is Michigan’s adaptation of the National Physical Activity Plan, which aims to increase physical activity statewide by coordinating efforts across healthcare, education, and other state institutions. The plan is the work of Michigan Moves Coalition (MMC), a group of nonprofit and commercial organizations with the goal of making Michigan the most physically active state in the nation. The nonprofit MMC is chaired by Michael Stack, founder and CEO of Applied Fitness Solutions and Frontline Fitness Pros. He is also on the board of the Physical Activity Alliance.

The day was equal parts policy discussion and a celebration of the joy of fitness. More than 400 children participated in a group workout on the Capitol lawn, joined by physical education teachers and “Big Lug,” the mascot for the Lansing Lugnuts, a minor league baseball team.

Losey spoke at a policy symposium and emphasized HFA’s legislative priorities, the importance of coalition building, and the fitness industry’s role in preventive health. She cited recent research that underscored the stakes: As little as 15 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce depression by 26%, and maintaining higher levels of physical activity is associated with a 20% reduction in the risk of developing anxiety.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed May 2026 as Michigan Moves Month, the third consecutive year the state has recognized the occasion. The MPAP officially launched at the Day at the Capitol, with State Senator Sam Singh and State Representative Julie M. Rogers among those present for the announcement.

Losey concluded her trip with a meeting with Michigan State Senator Kathy Schmaltz, who is the sister of HFB Editor-in-Chief Jim Schmaltz.

Losey shares HFA's message to a group in Lansing.

Stack speaks in front of legislators and other stakeholders.

Big Lug joins kids on the Capitol lawn for fun physical activity.

New York: Testimony on Cancellation Rules

In New York City, HFA weighed in on proposed rules governing subscription cancellations for fitness operators. Losey delivered oral testimony before city officials, and HFA submitted detailed written comments as part of the formal rulemaking process.

HFA’s position strongly supports meaningful consumer protections while arguing that the proposed rules, as written, fail to account for how facility-based businesses actually operate. Consumers deserve transparency and flexibility in cancellation processes, HFA argued, but the standards governing those processes need to reflect operational reality.

Separately, HFA secured key amendments to a New York bill related to total-price advertising, preserving flexibility for fitness operators in how they present pricing to prospective members.

Louisiana and New Jersey: Stopping Harmful Legislation

Not every advocacy victory involves passing new legislation. Some of the most consequential wins involve amending or blocking bills that would have created significant problems for operators.

In Louisiana, HFA successfully amended legislation that, as originally written, would have required immediate membership cancellation with no processing flexibility—a provision that could have disrupted operations and created administrative chaos for clubs of all sizes.

In New Jersey, HFA helped to amend a bill that would have automatically terminated all memberships upon a facility sale or ownership transfer. Left unchanged, the legislation could have undermined the value of fitness businesses as going concerns and complicated the transaction process for buyers and sellers alike.

As HFA noted in sharing news of these wins: Not every advocacy success makes headlines, but they protect operator businesses all the same.

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Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

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