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Pennsylvania State Senate
09/05/2024 12:16 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20190&chamber=S&cosponId=31818
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: May 18, 2020 03:44 PM
From: Senator Lisa M. Boscola
To: All Senate members
Subject: Establishing a COVID-19 Recovery Fund for Restaurants, Taverns and Clubs
 
I plan to introduce legislation which seeks to utilize federal funds for COVID-19 to directly aid tens of thousands of Pennsylvania restaurants and small businesses. Specifically, this initiative would use $200 million of CARES Act funds to the Commonwealth to establish the Independent Tavern, Restaurant and Club Stabilization Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide short and long term financial relief as grants to our state’s bars, restaurants, clubs and public venue/performing arts licensees.

Projections from both the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association as well as national associations predict that many small businesses in the hospitality industry will not survive due to COVID-19 shutdown. This issue is not only about the closures which many have dealt with over the past months, but also in the anticipation that customer volume will never be the same pace as it was prior to the pandemic for some time. These businesses are critical to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods and our cities. They are often difficult to finance because they are risky even in the best of economic times. With the anticipated capacity limitations and uneasiness for a restaurant setting for the coming months we need to pay extra attention to help make certain that these restaurants survive and thrive.

With that in mind, the legislation will have the following approaches:
  1. No publicly traded restaurant may apply for funds.
  2. No large restaurant chain or franchise may apply for funds.
  3. The awarding of grant funds shall be prioritized for smaller cities and boroughs.
  4. There will also be a focus on women and minority owners and operators.
  5. Funds allocated will not have any specific restrictions, other than they cannot be used to pay any existing loans other than a mortgage.
  6. The fund will be available through the end of 2020 or until the fund is depleted.
  7. Applicable businesses would be able to apply for additional funds, but priority would be given to first-time applicants.

This legislation is one more of several which I plan to introduce aimed at helping this industry. These businesses are critical to our local economies, they employ hundreds of thousands of people, they generate ancillary jobs and businesses in industries which supply them, farmers, harvesters, brewers, distillers, fishermen, cleaners, equipment suppliers, alcohol distributors and the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits retail stores.

Please join me in sponsoring this legislation.