The effects of the coronavirus are being felt across the world as people practice social distancing, which is having a significant impact on our local businesses and employees. We recognize that both short-term measures and long-term solutions will be needed to restore the health of our local, state and national economies.
CMSC supports many of the advocacy and legislative initiatives being put forward at the state and federal level, including the following.
Federal Assistance
- CARES ACT: On March 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the “CARES Act” was signed into law to provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The bill will provide nearly $350 billion in loan funding and grants offered through SBA. See an overview of the CARES Act.
- Small Business Administration: The Small Business Administration (SBA) released a toolkit offering guidance for businesses and employers to plan and respond to COVID-19 and provides loan funding and grants. Be sure to check out the National Trust Community Investment Corporation’s highlights of these resources in this recap, as well as their summary of the Paycheck Protection Program.
Federal Proposals
Sens. Murphy, Merkley, Van Hollen Propose Robust Rescue Plan for Small and Mid-size Businesses and Nonprofits – This proposal for “The Main Street Emergency Grant Program” would provide much-needed liquidity for small and medium businesses during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. The Main Street Emergency Grant Program would allow small businesses to apply for grants through the Treasury Department to cover fixed costs like payroll and rent. Those grants would revert to loans that would have to be paid back only if the business fails to prove it is meeting criteria under the proposal. It would also allow mid-size businesses to access to forgivable loans.
- What the Federal Government Needs to Do to Enable Small Businesses to Survive the Coronavirus Crisis – The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, together with more than a dozen national and local small business organizations, have put forward a proposal to assist small businesses that includes grants and subsidies, loans, and other support for small businesses and employees.
Connecticut Programs & Orders
- Cloth face coverings or higher level of protection required in public wherever close contact is unavoidable – Effective 8:00 p.m. April 21, 2020, any any person in a public place in Connecticut who is unable to or does not maintain a safe social distance of approximately six feet from every other person shall cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face-covering. In addition, individuals shall use a mask or cloth face covering when using the services of any taxi, car, livery, ride-sharing or similar service or means of mass public transit, or while within any semi-enclosed transit stop or waiting area.
Connecticut Advocacy
- Connecticut Restaurant Association Letter to Governor Lamont – This letter lays out 4 requests to Governor Lamont for immediate assistance to restaurants. They include 1) Immediate & Significant Capital Injections; 2) Forgive Sales Tax Payments for At Least 3 Months; 3) Fund a State-Backed Business Interruption Insurance program; and 4) Address Unemployment Compensation Issues.
Looking forward, we will continue to gather input from our member communities and industry partners about how we can best address the challenges presented by the coronavirus.
- Please feel free to contact us with ideas for state policy, regulations, loans or programs that you think will be beneficial to our communities and businesses.
- CMSC continues to meet with Downtown/Main Street Working Group of the legislature, led by state Reps. Jane Garibay and Quentin Phipps. We will continue to present ideas, information and proposals to the group as we go forward.