PA Bill Would Create Fund For Restaurants, Bars Hurt By COVID

HARRISBURG, PA — Lawmakers from Bucks and Montgomery counties have teamed up on a bill that would help bars, restaurants and caterers that have struggled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Rep. Tina Davis, D-Levittown, and Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Royersford, are the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would steer financial relief to those businesses. House Bill 2791 is part of a larger House Democratic legislative package that seeks to help businesses amid the crisis.

"We’ve had to take strict precautions to protect our health during the pandemic, but the impact of these protocols has devastated the restaurant industry and the lives of those who work within it," Davis said. "The hardship these establishments and their workers are facing has had serious socio-economic ramifications on the entire community. This bill would help our local restaurants – and the people who work in them – survive this unprecedented crisis but would benefit the larger community as well."

Using money from the federal CARES Act, the bill would focus on smaller, family-owned businesses rather than chains and national companies, the sponsors said. It would put a cap on assistance to help as many businesses as possible.

It creates a $100 million grant program for restaurants and bars that make less than $5 million a year. Based on a list of factors, applicants would be awarded grants through the program.

"These establishments – particularly the smaller, mom and pop’businesses – are the lifeblood of a community and often become landmarks where we live, work and raise our families," Ciresi said. "Because of the pandemic, so many of these bars, restaurants and catering halls are struggling to stay afloat, hurt by the inability to operate at full capacity. That's why Rep. Davis and I have introduced this bill, to help as many local businesses as possible to get the funding they need and deserve."

The bill has co-sponsors from both the Democratic and Republican parties.