Supporting Struggling Small Businesses
The pandemic and Covid-19 mitigations began inflicting immense damage to many small businesses in March of 2020. Thousands of small businesses initially applied for Illinois Business Interruption Grants. While these grants helped some small businesses, approximately 80% of eligible small businesses which applied were not awarded a grant.
Subsequently, Illinois received over 8 billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds. However, only $250 million were allocated for Back to Business grant program. These funds will likely be exhausted before many struggling and eligible businesses receive grants.
Illinois still has billions of federal funds and should replenish the Back to Business grant program with an additional $300 million. Our policymakers should not pick winners and loses when there is adequate funding to support the struggling small businesses.
House Bill HB5489 will allocate an additional $300 million for the Back to Business grant program. Please ask your legislators to support this legislation so that struggling small businesses can receive the support they need to recover from a pandemic, and associated mitigations, which they could not control.
Home Based Businesses
Jumpstarting Chicago’s Economic Recovery The city of Chicago is facing unprecedented public health and economic challenges resulting from COVID-19. By executive order, by choice, or by necessity, many Chicagoans are starting and operating businesses from home during the pandemic. However, Chicago’s regulations make the home occupation license too complicated and too restrictive for these vitally…
Property Tax Reform
Citizens Empowerment Act The state of Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the US. Property taxes are a huge burden on Illinois residents and small businesses, and often drive people out of the state. Illinois also has 6,918 local units of government, according to the latest Census Bureau data, which is more than…
Make Minority Contracting Reforms Now
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the small business community. With businesses struggling, government contracts are even more important to many small businesses, including minority owned businesses with limited cash reserves and access to capital. The failure of governmental entities at all levels to ensure that minority businesses receive a fair share…
