Chamber Members:
It was a gloomy day, but we have heard some great news on the funding side. A number of businesses and organizations have reported that their SBA EIDL grant money magically appeared in their bank accounts as early as Monday morning. We hope to hear and provide further information about that program reopening as soon as it comes across.
As many states begin to issue guidance on reopening businesses, we are seeing many new questions surrounding when and how businesses can and cannot operate. Therefore, we want to direct your attention to a press release and letter sent today by the U. S. Chamber regarding the need for consistent and uniform return-to-work policies.
Please find below new materials from the U.S. Chamber regarding the federal government’s response to the ongoing pandemic. Among these resources, you will find the following:
- OSHA’s Response to Workplace Safety and Coronavirus Exposure
- NEW – A Backgrounder on Health Coverage: Options for individuals who have lost employer sponsored coverage due to the coronavirus
- NEW – A Backgrounder on Unemployment Insurance Under the CARES Act
Federal stimulus money
Will County is set to receive grants totaling approximately $1.75 million to deal with the impact of the Coronavirus. The grants were part of the CARES Act.
The county will receive:
- $1,244,264 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
- $503,772 in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
These funds are intended for local non-profit community development organizations and local taxing bodies. The proposal requests need to go through the Community Development Division of the Will County Land Use Department. The purpose of the grants is to help fund these community-based organizations and their programs as they serve the needs of individuals affected by the virus. Priority will be given to programs that fill service delivery system gaps, reduced disparities, build capacity, and meet critical basic, human needs of county residents. Request for Proposals for CARES Act funds and annual CDBG and HOME funds are available at the Will County Land Use site www.willcountylanduse.com and will be accepted until May 4.
The City of Joliet has also reportedly received CDBG funds that will be utilized for counseling in reference to home ownership as well as mortgage assistance.
We will wrap up things today with two reminders of upcoming video conferences. The first will take place tomorrow (Thursday, April 30th) at 1:30 PM. Here are the details:
Calm, Cool and Invested: Details on how the CARES Act Impacts Individuals & an Economic and Market Update
Join us for an informative workshop to find out how the CARES Act impacts you on such topics that have changed including:
- Required Minimum Distribution
- IRA & 401K Loan Changes
- Mortgages
*Also, we’ll cover the state of our economy and a stock market update
Hosted by: Nicholas J. Tyrell, Edward Jones
Important Webinar Details
Date and time: Thursday, April 30th, at 1:30PM
Meeting number: 281 935 101
Meeting password: Chamber2020
To attend, go to: https://ej.webex.com/ej/j.php?MTID=mf9dc66b4bb3759ef7526c8a65d341162. Even if the link does not appear in blue, it should work. If it doesn’t, simply copy the link and paste it into your browser.
Important Audio Information:
Dial-in number: 800-893-7317 You must dial in in order to hear the conference.
Access code: 3429951
The second is for a video conference on Friday with US Congressman Bill Foster as we’ll review federal level updates. Here are the full details for that session:
Federal Updates Concerning the COVID-19 Pandemic with Congressman Bill Foster
Friday, May 1, 2020 @ 1:00 p.m.
Webinar Series
Register online:
http://jolietchamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-webinar-may-1-federal-updates-concerning-the-covid-19-pandemic-5894
Topics:
- Updates on newest Federal Relief Package
- Proposals for next phase of funding
- Plan to recruit healthy volunteers for vaccine testing
Please join the Joliet Chamber and Congressman Foster for a free interactive webinar to discuss
For more information, call (815) 727-5371 or email info@jolietchamber.com
*Reservations required. http://jolietchamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-webinar-may-1-federal-updates-concerning-the-covid-19-pandemic-5894
Log-in information will be provided in registration confirmation.
We have additional webinars / video conferences lined up over the next two weeks that will deliver interesting topics as well, so stay tuned for future announcements.
Stay well,
Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry Staff and Board of Directors
Mike Paone
Vice President – Government Affairs
Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry
815.727.5371 main
815.727.5373 direct