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SUBJECT: Thank you for your support of my small business

Dear Mr. President;

On behalf of thousands of small business owners and tens of thousands of employees in Illinois, Oregon, West Virginia, Nevada, Montana, Georgia, South Dakota, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, we wanted to sincerely thank you for supporting our eligibility to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) release of revised regulatory guidelines that allow all size-eligible gaming entities to participate in the PPP was long overdue and vital to our small businesses. We are incredibly grateful for your steadfast advocacy in correcting the SBA’s antiquated policy that precluded small businesses that generate revenues from legalized and regulated gaming activities from rightfully qualifying for needed relief under the CARES Act.

There is no doubt that without your leadership and sustained effort to get the guidelines changed, thousands of small businesses and their employees would not have been able to survive the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your continued support of my small businesses is greatly appreciated.

Gratefully,

SUBJECT: Don’t let our Hospitality Business be another Permanent Casualty of COVID-19

Dear Governor Pritzker,

The coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous hardship throughout the world, our nation, and our state. In fact, a new study by economists at the University of Illinois, Harvard University Business School, and the University of Chicago projects more than 100,000 small businesses have permanently closed since the coronavirus pandemic surfaced. My business is currently suffering unprecedented losses through no fault of our own. We certainly do not want to become part of this statistic.

Under the current Restore Illinois plan, the earliest a region can reach Phase 4, which allows restaurants to resume “dine-in” service is June 26th. We believe this timetable grossly underestimates the ability of restaurant and bar owners to safely serve our clientele and underestimates the ability of honest citizens to safeguard their own health. Our small businesses are already highly trained in safe food handling practices and concurrently heavily regulated by public health officials. These facts place our businesses ahead of most other industries in their readiness to meet modified safety guidelines to handle the current COVID-19 situation.

We are therefore respectfully calling for a modification to the Restore Illinois plan to allow restaurants and bars to reopen during Phase 3 rather than waiting until phase 4. This change could be the difference between a path to recovery or being forced to shutter our doors permanently. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, of the 594,500 Illinoisans who depend on the restaurant and hospitality industry to make a living, currently 321,000 are collecting unemployment. These individuals desperately need to go back to work, including several people who depend on my business for their livelihood.

Additionally, while closed during the shutdown our small businesses are losing at least $5 million statewide daily in video gaming revenue, in addition to the tens of millions in other revenues from lost food and beverage sales.

Governor, we fully understand the need to protect public health. As mentioned, our day to day activities require us to maintain excellent health and safety standards. We were asked to shut down to make sure our hospitals were not overrun, and we did it. We have achieved the goal of protecting our hospitals. Now, we need you to revisit the re-opening timetable to protect our livelihoods and those of our employees. We need to reopen, safely and with everyone’s health as the priority, as soon as possible. Specifically, we need the assurance that when the business is permitted to open, our video gaming machines will be operational to the public pursuant to proper safety protocols.

The COVID-19 crisis does not have to be an either-or proposition. We have learned a great deal about this virus in the months since the first confirmed cases were discovered in the United States. Working with state and local officials, we can create a safe environment at our businesses. States across the country have shown it is possible to both protect the public while at the same time allowing businesses to reopen. There are many common-sense guidelines being successfully implemented in other states. Surely, we can learn from our neighbors and develop a less restrictive strategy for us in Illinois.

Again, we respectfully ask you to work with us on a modified timetable. Our businesses have been shuttered for far too long. For the sake of our families, our employees, and our valued customers, please reopen Illinois and let us get back to work.

Sincerely,

CC: The Office of Senate President Don Harmon
The Office of Speaker Mike Madigan
The Office of Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady
The Office of House Minority Leader Jim Durkin

SUBJECT: Thank you for your support of my small business

Dear Senator:

On behalf of thousands of small business owners and tens of thousands of employees in Illinois, Oregon, West Virginia, Nevada, Montana, Georgia, South Dakota, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, we wanted to sincerely thank you for supporting our eligibility to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) release of revised regulatory guidelines that allow all size-eligible gaming entities to participate in the PPP was long overdue and vital to our small businesses. We are incredibly grateful for your steadfast advocacy in correcting the SBA’s antiquated policy that precluded small businesses that generate revenues from legalized and regulated gaming activities from rightfully qualifying for needed relief under the CARES Act.

There is no doubt that without your leadership and sustained effort to get the guidelines changed, thousands of small businesses and their employees would not have been able to survive the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your continued support of my small businesses is greatly appreciated.

Gratefully,