The following is a news release from the Office of Congressman Michael San Nicolas:
H.R. 3807 – Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022, introduced by Congressman Blumenauer and co-sponsored by Congressman Michael San Nicolas, passed the House with a narrow margin of 223 yea -203 nay, mostly along party lines.
This bill provides $42 billion to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to award grants to eligible entities that previously applied to the program and were unable to secure funding. The bill also provides $13 billion to establish a Hard Hit Industries Award Program to provide awards to small businesses across all industries and sectors that were hardest hit by the pandemic but were not eligible for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund or Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program (SVOG).
“After engaging the Small Business Administration for more equitable funding for Territorial establishments eligible for this kind of federal relief it was further iterated by the Agency that additional resources would be a necessary step, and we are pleased that this legislation we co-sponsored and sought support for has passed the House,” said Congressman San Nicolas.“Our businesses eligible for Restaurant Revitalization Funding are uniquely impacted during these times with a tourism economy far from recovery and a struggling unemployment scenario unlike the States, making their business prospects and outlook far more precarious, and underscoring the need for us to make every effort to get this measure through,” Congressman San Nicolas added.
Funding for H.R. 3807 will be offset by pandemic funds reclaimed, seized, or returned to the federal government, while also extending the timeline for Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) recipients to utilize their grant awards.
The measure now moves onto the Senate for consideration.
