A bill that would reimburse restaurants, bars and caterers that spent money on supplies in preparation for the return of indoor dining has been approved by a Senate committee.

 

According to the bill, it would fund the reimbursements by appropriating $30 million to the Economic Development Authority from federal block grants allocated to the state from the CARES Act. The EDA would then provide direct financial support.

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Restaurants were set to reopen for indoor dining early in July, but the authorization was later reversed. Many restaurant owners say they were out thousands of dollars due to the change.

State Sen. Anthony Bucco, who is co-sponsoring, says, "Restaurants were ready to open on July 2, until the governor changed directions. Now it's almost two months later, and they are still closed. The owners of many establishments spent money they didn't have, often on personal credit cards, to buy food, PPE for staff, and renovate their dining rooms to serve customers safely. The money they spent and losses they incurred, through no fault of their own, added insult to injury and restaurants deserve to be compensated from the CARES funding for losses they incurred."

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