House Vote Coming Tomorrow Morning on PPP Fix Legislation
Tomorrow morning, the U.S. House is expected to debate, vote, and pass the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act. There have been many changes to the bill in the past few hours. As of this afternoon, the legislation includes:
- 24 week covered period (instead of 8 weeks)
- 60/40 split on payroll and nonpayroll expenses (instead of 75/25)
- Loan forgiveness still applies if FTEs won’t come back, or if revenue in December is below February 2020 levels.
- Five year loan-repayment terms for future PPP loans
- Payroll tax deferment restored
After the House votes to approve the legislation, the IRA and National Restaurant Association will be urging the Senate to pass similar legislation as soon as possible.
The IRA will provide additional updates tomorrow.
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Thursday Webinar - What Cook County Businesses & Nonprofits Need to Know about PPP Loan Forgiveness
Join the IRA, Cook County, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition (IBIC), National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), and The Resurrection Project
Thursday, May 28 at 10:00 a.m. (Central)
for a webinar to review the what Cook County businesses and nonprofits need to know about the
PPP loan forgiveness
application process.
IRA Advisory Council member Dirk Ahlbeck of
Sassetti LLC
will also provide an overview of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC).
Additional topics to be covered in the webinar include:
- Latest updates on the Paycheck Protection Program
- Detailed discussion of the new PPP loan forgiveness application form
- Guidance for small business and nonprofits, including sole proprietorships, on requirements to get PPP loan forgiven
- Q&A with panel of experts
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IRA PPE and Reopening Resource Guide Now Available
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The IRA has launched a
premier resource base
of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and reopening services for restaurants, including: hand sanitizer, face coverings, gloves, cleaning and sanitizing supplies, plexiglass, menus, floor markers, signs, and more.
Click here
to let us know if you would like to join the IRA’s reopening resource page and offer PPE materials and equipment to restaurants and bars throughout Illinois. Companies must be current IRA Associate members in order to be featured. Contact
Emilee Lyons
for more information on listing your company.
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City of Chicago Releases Outdoor Dining Guidance for Restaurants
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Yesterday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, alongside the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), industry leaders, labor leaders, and public officials, have developed
industry-specific guidelines
for safely operating within Phase III: Cautiously Reopen. These guidelines are part of the city’s Be Safe Chicago framework that will be used to guide Chicago’s reopening process amid COVID-19.
Within Phase III, restaurants and coffee shops are permitted to open for outdoor dining only with specific safety guidelines. The IRA led the city of Chicago's food and beverage working group focused on reopening strategies.
Aligned with the state of Illinois but tailored to Chicago’s context, these guidelines advise employers and residents of Chicago on how to cautiously exit from shelter-in-place while continuing to prioritize the health of our most vulnerable residents. Please reference the materials on this page to help cautiously guide your businesses and employees during Phase III: Cautiously Reopen. As the city continues to reopen further, more guidelines will be added to this page.
Click here
to download the guidelines for restaurants.
Guidelines include:
- Contactless pickup available and contactless payment encouraged
- Outdoor dining permitted for restaurants and coffee shops following standard social distancing requirements
- Application process pending; dining areas considered outdoors include rooftops, rooms with retractable roofs and indoor spaces where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels provided that dining tables are within 8-ft from such openings
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
- Employees required to wear face coverings at all times, face coverings for guests required when not seated
- Employees and diners encouraged to maintain 6-ft physical distancing
- Employees frequently disinfect facilities
More information on reopening in Chicago:
Read more about reopening restaurants in Chicago:
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State of Illinois Phase 3 Outdoor Dining Reopening Guidance
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The document specifies: the eating and drinking establishments who may operate in this capacity, party size limitations, operational procedures for seating, menus and service standards, and – at the cornerstone – recommended enhanced health and safety measures to protect public well-being.
For the purposes of these guidelines, a dining or drinking area is considered an outdoor dining or drinking area if the area meets any of the following criteria:
- Located on the rooftop of a building or within establishment with retractable roof (should remain open during hours of operation of outdoor dining and/or drinking); or
- Outdoor space connected to or located on the site of a restaurant, grocery store, health or fitness center, hotel, golf club, or other social club with a food establishment license; or
- Indoor space where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels provided that dining tables are within 8-ft from such opening; or
- Any other outdoor dining and drinking areas authorized by local governments provided that food and drinks are prepared by licensed food or liquor establishments and that proper social distancing of 6-ft between designated customer tables and/or other seating areas is observed and parties are of 6 persons or fewer
Operators must also look to their local municipalities and health departments for further guidance. The
city of Chicago's guidance
was released yesterday.
A state of Illinois Phase 3 reopening toolkit for restaurants and bars is also available
here
.
Included in the
toolkit
are the following materials:
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Illinois Restaurant Promise - Download the Poster for Your Restaurant
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In partnership with the IRA and health officials across the state, restaurant owners and operators make these commitments to earn this endorsement during the COVID-19 recovery period.
When customers see this endorsement, they can be comfortable that the restaurant is taking all necessary steps to protect their employees and customers and is committed to playing a leadership role in protecting our communities.
Click here
to download the poster for your establishments.
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Take Two Minutes to Complete Our Elected Official Relationship Survey
As we continue to advocate on behalf of the industry during COVID-19, the IRA and National Restaurant Association are working to identify existing and new relationships our members have with local, state, and federal elected officials. The results will allow us to get a comprehensive sense of which restaurant operators have relationships with lawmakers across the state.
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Thursday Webinar - Scaling UP Restaurant Operations and Financial Considerations
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This first webinar in the series, focusing on Financial Considerations, will provide strategies on ordering, planning a cost effective menu and pivoting your offerings in this new environment.
Panelists:
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Friday Webinar - City of Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance
Join the IRA, Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), and the BACP Office of Labor Standards (OLS) on
Friday, May 29 at 10:00 a.m.
for a webibar to review Chicago's
Fair Workweek ordinance
and compliance requirements for employers.
Restaurants with less than 250 employees and less than 30 global locations are exempt from this ordinance. Unless your restaurant has 30 or more locations globally, your restaurant is exempt from this ordinance. Franchisees with 3 or fewer locations owned by one employer are also exempted.
Click here
to read the Fair Workweek ordinance FAQs.
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Please
visit our website
for the latest COVID-19 updates, in addition to the above resources and information for your business. Updated as of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27.
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