PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Spring 2021

Spring 2021 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • 25 Mitigation | Legislative Priorities | Taxes | CHIRP Grants PRLA Liquor Priorities on the Move | PRLA’s COVID Priorities Philadelphia | Allegheny County | Pittsburgh Restaurant Relief Fund | Shuttered Venue Grant | Raise the Wage Act Federal Items Local Items RESTAURANT RELIEF FUND The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 created the $28.6 billion Restaurant Relief Fund to provide grants for restaurants sustaining financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 17, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued the necessary federal rules, regulations, and sample application to distribute the grant funds. The program officially opened on May 3; however, the SBA is only processing and funding priority group applications for the first 21 days. It is expected that the fund will be quickly over- subscribed, and an additional appropriation will need to be made by Congress. SHUTTERED VENUE GRANT The SBA’s Shuttered Venue Grant program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues. The application portal crashed nearly immediately after the application went live in early April forcing the SBA to close it down for extensive repairs and testing. The portal reopened at the end of April. RAISE THE WAGE ACT At the end of February, the chief Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the Raise the Wage act should not be considered as part of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. The Senate Democrats acquiesced to the ruling so the relief package could move quickly through the chamber and get relief to Americans. This is certainly not the last we will see of the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $15/hour and eliminate the tip credit so stay tuned for action alerts from the National Restaurant Association and PRLA this year. PHILADELPHIA While the city slightly relaxed some of its mitigation on May 7, it will not be joining the rest of the state in lifting all mitigation on May 31. PRLA sent a letter to the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Streets & Services in support of a bill, sponsored by Councilperson Gilmore-Richardson, that would allow outdoor entertainment at restaurants to obtain a permit for sidewalk café, streetery, or street/lot closure. In March, City Council unanimously passed legislation to expand and extend the Public Health Emergency Leave and Mayor Kenney signed it into law. This bill not only extended the previous leave law, but also added another 80 hours of leave. City Council has a bill in play, sponsored by Councilperson Squilla, that would regulate short-term rentals within the city limits and create a registry to ensure zoning and tax compliance for those choosing to list a property with a short- term rental site. Philadelphia’s Department of Labor will start enforcing predictability pay for predictive scheduling on June 1. ALLEGHENY COUNTY Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald vetoed legislation that would have mandated paid sick leave in Allegheny County citing concerns with the legality of how the bill moved through the process. Despite the city solicitor’s warning that the process would likely lose a legal challenge, council went ahead and voted the measure through. The County’s Health Board will address paid sick leave at its next meeting. PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh City Council introduced a resolution proclaiming the Council’s intent to introduce an ordinance that would place restrictions on single-use plastic bags in the city. » HB 977 (Millard): Would ban any governor from mandating specific occupancy restrictions for an establishment during any disaster declaration. • The House Labor & Industry Committee moved HB 406 (Cox), which would reinstate the work- search requirement to continue receiving unemployment compensation benefits.