Larson Votes for Restaurant Relief
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted for the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022,providing an additional $42 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund for businesses that applied but were denied due to lack of program funding. The bill also creates a new $13 billion Hard Hit Industries Award Program, an industry neutral fund to help any small business with 20 or fewer employees which has suffered 40 percent or more losses since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was by established by Congressional Democrats and President Biden in the American Rescue Plan to support restaurants and other food and beverage purveyors in response to COVID-19.
“The Restaurant Revitalization Fund has been a lifeline for many restaurants in Connecticut, but too many were left behind because of lack of funding. This pandemic is not over, and small businesses are still struggling. Restaurants were among the hardest hit, I’m proud to vote for this much-needed funding today,” said Larson.
“Additional funding for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund is critical for the survival of many of our restaurants, especially those minority restaurants located within our inner cities, that have suffered tremendous losses over the past two years due to the COVID pandemic and I fully support more funds for this program,” said Julio Mendoza, Executive Director of the Spanish American Merchants Association. He added, “we also support the Hard Hit Industries Award Program to help small businesses that have been greatly affected by this pandemic. I want to thank Congressman Larson for his continuous support for our small businesses.”
Last year Larson did a walking tour with the Spanish American Merchants Association and the Small Business Administration on Park Street in Hartford. During the tour he met with many local business owners who were affected by the pandemic and underscored the need for additional relief.
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