WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) voted to secure urgently needed funding for small businesses across Pennsylvania. The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will deliver $55 billion to replenish funding for restaurants and establish a new program to support other small businesses hurt by the pandemic.
Established through Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) brought more than $949 million for 3,530 businesses in Pennsylvania. Due to its popularity across the nation, the program quickly exhausted its funding, leaving more than 170,000 eligible businesses without access to this relief. The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will add $42 billion to the RRF so that these restaurants can now apply for assistance.
“Small business owners across Pennsylvania still need relief, and it was vital to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and establish a grant program for restaurants and businesses that were not able to access essential funding before,” Rep Dean said. “This legislation will lift up our small businesses by helping them reopen, recover and rehire — and it will strengthen our main streets.”
This legislation also takes action to support other struggling small businesses:
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Providing $13 billion to establish the Hard Hit Industries Award Program, which will assist small businesses with 200 or fewer employees that have experienced 40 percent or more in lost revenue.
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Updating the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program to provide entertainment venues with more time and flexibility to use federal relief funds.
The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act passed in the House and will be voted on in the Senate.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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