Congress Must Act Now
to Save Small Business to Save Our Economy!

Dear John,

Small business owners have suffered major damage from the coronavirus crisis, either through forced closure or business reduction. All segments of our economy welcomed the CARES Act and viewed it as a lifeline for small businesses everywhere. However, the money has not yet been received by many small businesses, and appears unlikely to come for some period of time. This MUST change NOW! 

Our small businesses have displayed incredible resilience, innovation, and malleability amidst these challenging times. They have had to reinvent themselves, transitioning their services to online platforms, learning website management and video conferencing, adopting online consulting practices, and familiarizing themselves with employment law. With limited resources, they have adapted to their vastly changed environment. Our government needs to recognize their resilience and respond accordingly.

The American Sustainable Business Council, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) and other business organizations have developed “The Next Steps to Keep American Business Alive.” We believe these are vital to help small and mid-sized local and independent businesses (including farms and fishers) in all communities across the United States survive this crisis:

We have outlined a number of the major issues along with a proposed resolution:

1. Fund the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advance NOW!
2. Implement the new unemployment benefits NOW!
3. Increase the CARES Act Payroll Protection Program (PPP) by at least $250 Billion, change the forgiveness requirements, and provide support for new and smaller businesses in applying NOW! 
4. Action is needed to meet the needs of 1099 and gig workers.
5. Action is needed to provide support for people of color, immigrants, and low-income communities and business owners hard hit by the Pandemic
6. Action is necessary to ensure the resilience of the small-scale and mid-sized farmers, fishers, and ranchers that feed our communities and provide the goods on which many local businesses depend.

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YOUR FEDERAL LEGISLATORS

Sincerely,