The New Jersey Legislature will consider a bill this week that would reimburse restaurants for preparations they made for indoor dining before the restart date was delayed.

Restaurant owners were told that indoor dining could resume on July 2, but Gov. Phil Murphy paused that plan on June 30 because of a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The bill from Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick has support from Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney. The bill will be introduced in both the state Assembly and Senate on Thursday.

“We want to be able to reimburse businesses that were given the go-ahead by the state of New Jersey to go buy products. Our restaurants are hurting enough, we don't need to hurt them anymore, you know? They'll have to prove their loss, but if they prove their loss, we should reimburse them,” Sweeney says.

The bill would set aside $30 million in federal CARES Act money to be distributed as grants to restaurants.