Bill Text: MI SR0130 | 2019-2020 | 100th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to explore further avenues of relief for businesses affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-06-24 - Rules Suspended [SR0130 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2019-SR0130-Enrolled.html
as adopted by
senate, june 24, 2020
senate Resolution No.130
Senator MacDonald offered the following resolution:
Whereas, The COVID-19 Pandemic has dramatically affected Michigan and the United States. The first cases in Michigan were reported on March 10, 2020, and since these initial reports more than 56,000 cases have been confirmed and more than 5,000 Michiganders have lost their lives to the novel coronavirus. Nationally, there have been more than 1.7 million cases and 100,000 deaths; and
Whereas, Mitigating the spread of the virus has required extraordinary public health measures. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has issued executive orders prohibiting large gatherings, closing all primary and secondary schools, and requiring the temporary closure of all nonessential businesses. At the federal level, the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s guidelines recommended the closure of places where people gather, including businesses, where there is evidence of community transmission. While some industries and regions of the state have begun to partially reopen, it is unclear how long mitigation measures will be necessary before normal operations can resume; and
Whereas, These measures have greatly impacted the livelihoods of business owners across the state and our nation. With the forced closures, small business owners have been forced to lay off workers and forgo income for months, while still needing to make payments for utilities, mortgages and rent, and other expenses. According to a survey by the Small Business Administration of Michigan, one in seven, or about 14 percent, of small businesses are not confident that they will survive the Pandemic. Nationally, a survey found that 7.5 million small businesses are at risk of shutting down; and
Whereas, Federal and state governments have a responsibility to assist small businesses since government mitigation measures, while for the greater good, contributed significantly to the current economic crisis. The economic uncertainty and devastation caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the related mitigation policies are not the fault of small business owners. It would be unjust to fail to help them and to allow them to bear an unfair share of the burden of addressing this crisis; and
Whereas, The failure of these businesses could have wide ranging negative effects for Michigan and the United States. Since the beginning of the crisis, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment, including more than 1.7 million in Michigan. If small businesses are unable to reopen, many of these claimants may not be able to return to work, magnifying the already devastating economic impact of COVID-19; and
Whereas, The small business relief already enacted by Congress is not sufficient to mitigate these effects. As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide loans to small businesses. Even though additional money was subsequently appropriated to the program, the PPP has been unable to prove relief to millions of small businesses that have been affected by the crisis; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to explore further avenues of relief for businesses affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
