Newman votes to aid small businesses

From staff reports

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) recently voted to secure relief for small businesses across Illinois.

The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will deliver a total of $55 billion to replenish funding for restaurants across the nation.

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman

“As a former small business owner, I know that our local entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Newman said in a statement. “That’s why I was proud to vote today to replenish the Restaurant Relief Fund and ensure America’s hardest-hit small businesses receive the funding they need to keep their doors open and keep workers on the payroll.

“As a member of the House Small Business Committee, we have spent the last several months working on legislation that will ensure more small businesses can reopen, recover and rehire in the wake of the omicron wave,” she continued. “With the legislation passed today, we’re not only building on the success of the American Rescue Plan but continuing our fight to support the community entrepreneurs who keep our local economy running.”

Established through Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) distributed $28.6 billion to restaurants across the country – including $1.4 billion for 4,542 Illinois businesses.

Due to its popularity, the program quickly exhausted its funding before more than 170,000 eligible businesses could access relief.  The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will provide $42 billion to replenish the RRF so that these restaurants can apply for the assistance.

The legislation also:

• Provides $13 billion to establish the Hard Hit Industries Award Program, which will assist Illinois small businesses with 200 or fewer employees that have experienced 40 percent or more in lost revenue.
• Updates the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Programto provide Illinois entertainment venues with more time and flexibility to use federal relief funds.

The legislation passed is helped paid for by taking back the fraudulently obtained loans that were originally intended for small businesses, Newman claimed. She said more than 300 “fraudsters” have since been brought to justice by the SBA and some $1 billion seized. By increasing oversight funding to these entities and clawing back fraudulent payments, Congress can provide additional support to the restaurants and small businesses that were intended to receive the assistance, she added.

Newman