Outdoor diners at the Bit and Spur Saloon in Springdale, Utah, in summer 2020. Mikayla Whitmore for NBC News
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Source: www.nbcnews.com, April 2022
WASHINGTON — The House passed a $55 billion bill Thursday that would provide assistance to restaurants and other small businesses that have struggled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers approved the measure in a 223-203 vote, with only about a handful of Republicans backing it. A large chunk of the bill, $42 billion, would replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a grant program launched as a result of the American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law last year.
Nearly 300,000 restaurants and bars applied for grants through the program last year, according to the Small Business Administration, but only a third of applicants received relief.
The legislation would also provide $13 billion for other businesses affected by the pandemic, and it would establish oversight and reporting requirements to ensure grants are awarded properly and to verify the use of funding.
