Advocacy in Congress needed to elevate importance of new legislation
The National Restaurant Association has identified a new opportunity with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which appropriated $28.6B in funding for grant awards to restaurants that saw their gross receipts fall in 2020. A RRF Replenishment Act being introduced in Congress would provide for another $60B in funding to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to continue supporting the industry with grants even after the SBA closed the portal for grant applications.
It’s not certain that members of Congress will support this new piece of legislation and continue the important work of the sponsors, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) which has been critical.
According to Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of Public Affairs, additional funding will need to be supported by the restaurant industry itself. Restaurant owners and operators can help by contacting their local legislators.
He said, “Many here in Washington think that the return to indoor dining means that the restaurants will be fully back to normal within a few months. The truth is that this industry is incredibly vulnerable and faces a long path to recovery. We need this bill.”
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