Budget Address, Vaccine Point of Dispensing Sites, Action Needed on Raise the Wage Act
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
The Illinois Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help employers and employees address concerns about COVID-19. Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17. *** City of Chicago Vaccine Information for Employers Chicago is currently in Phase 1B of vaccine distribution. Restaurant and hospitality workers are included in Phase 1C of vaccine distribution, tentatively slated to begin March 29. The IRA is working to accelerate the eligibility for restaurant and hospitality workers to be vaccinated. At this time, there are three main ways that Chicago businesses who employ essential workers can move forward on facilitating vaccines for their employees. Enroll as a vaccinator Your facility must meet several requirements to enroll your site as a vaccinator, so this option is best for large facilities with healthcare staff. For more information, visit www.chicago.gov/covidvax and go to the Employers tab. Partner with a vaccinator If you have partnered with a pharmacy or clinic to offer onsite flu clinics in the past, please reach out to existing contacts first to schedule vaccination. Please note that these services are in high demand. This option is recommended for businesses with more than 250 employees. A short list of third-party providers is also available at www.chicago.gov/covidvax on the Employers tab. City of Chicago POD sites If you represent an essential business with less than 250 employees in all Chicago locations, you can fill out this survey for vaccination at a City of Chicago Point of Dispensing (POD) site. Only one representative from the business (e.g. the business owner or other management) should complete the survey on behalf of all employees. Include all employees, including temporary or contract staff when completing this survey. This survey is for all businesses in Phase 1B and Phase 1C. The city has also created COVID-19 Vaccine communication resources were created to help you provide clear, consistent, and credible information about COVID-19 vaccines to your employees. Governor Pritzker Offers Budget Address Earlier today, Governor Pritzker issued his virtual budget and State of the State address. The $41.6 billion budget blueprint relies heavily on ending business tax breaks, extending repayment of state borrowing, shifting earmarked revenues to the state’s general bank account and using existing federal COVID-19 relief funding to pare down a budget deficit of more than $2.6 billion. The IRA will work to protect our industry from provisions of the proposal that would negatively impact restaurants, including the reintroduction of the Corporate Franchise Tax and the cap on the retailer’s discount at $1,000 per month. Read more: Action Needed on Raise the Wage Act 
Congress is looking to fast-track the Raise the Wage Act in a matter of weeks. They need to hear from you to put a local connection to results from a national industry survey about the devastating impact the legislation would have on restaurants. Click here to take action now. Your answers to the questions asked will personalize your message to Congress. Chicago, Cook County Now Allow 40% Occupancy or 50 People Per Space Yesterday, the city of Chicago and Cook County announced that restaurants and bars are now permitted to have 40% occupancy indoors, or 50 people per space (whichever is less). The IRA continues to advocate for Chicago and Cook County restaurants, bars, and event venues to be able to serve more diners safely indoors - and be allowed to have more than 50 diners per space - as quickly as possible. Click here to review the updated regulations for restaurants and bars in the city of Chicago. Click here to review current guidelines for suburban Cook County. Support Let's Talk Womxn on International Women's Day 
Let's Talk Womxn was started in July 2020 in Chicago with 15 members. It was created as a forum for women restaurateurs to talk to each other and share resources. It has rapidly evolved to these entrepreneurs undertaking joint initiatives and combining their voice for actions to save their businesses. It is founded and led by IRA Advisory Council member Rohini Dey, Ph.D., owner of Vermilion. Let's Talk has expanded to 350+ members across 12 cities, and its objective is to increase visibility, funds and combine economic power for women restaurateurs through this crisis and beyond. Let's Talk is delighted to announce its official nationwide debut event on International Women's Day - Dine Together & Let's Talk on Monday, March 8. This evening features collaborative, surprise multi-restaurant dining experiences for takeout by the women of Let's Talk. These dinners span four to ten-course menus priced $45-$150 for order by Thursday, March 4. Click here to learn more. Restaurants Can Qualify for Significant Tax Credits Through ERTC A new law signed in late December 2020 makes restaurants eligible for an employee retention tax credit, even if they received a PPP loan. Now, for any calendar quarter between March 13 and Dec. 31, 2020, a restaurant with 100 or fewer full-time employees may be able to access Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC) of up to $5,000 per employee. And, for the first two quarters of 2021, Jan. 1–March 31, and April 1–June 30, restaurants with 500 or fewer full-time employees may be able to access ERTC of up to $7,000 per employee per quarter. Click here to read how it works. Join the National Restaurant Association and tax experts at Covington & Burling LLP and BDO Wednesday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. (Central) as they walk restaurant operators through how to take full advantage of PPP loan filing and forgiveness and will provide updates on recent developments in: Employee Retention Tax Credits for 2020 and 2021 (note: new rules might make you eligible for up to $19K per employee) Net Operating Loss carryback Qualified Improvement Property depreciation
Click here to register for the webinar.
|
Email to a Friend
