Chamber Members:
A new week begins, but old topics remain. Hopefully, there will be some clarity on the federal aid and government shutdown front. As this was written, deeper details have yet to emerge on specifics of the aid proposal. However, some pieces are mentioned below. Also, there is an article featuring two vaccine experts who share their outlook for life in 2021. Enjoy your week!
*Daily Coronavirus update brought to you by Silver Cross Hospital
The Latest on Federal Aid & Gov’t Shutdown Negotiations
The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown after current funding expires this Friday, an acknowledgment that negotiators need more time to reach a longer-term deal. Democratic aides confirmed Monday that the stopgap is expected to last through Dec. 18.
House Democratic leaders initially hoped to wrap up work on an all-encompassing spending package, coronavirus economic relief and an annual defense policy bill by Friday and send members home in time to quarantine for two weeks before spending Christmas with their families. Senators were less optimistic last week about getting all that work done so quickly.
COVID-19 Relief Bill Likely to NOT Include $1,200 Stimulus to Individuals
With time running out, lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed COVID-19 relief bill that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, leaving that issue for President-elect Joe Biden to wrestle over with a new Congress next year.
Senator Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat, indicated that excluding the checks while assuring small-business aid and renters’ assistance was the only way to reach agreement with Republicans who are putting firm limits on the bill’s final price tag.
“The $1,200 check, it cost we believe nationally $300 billion to give you an idea,” he said. “The Democrats have always wanted a larger number, but we were told we couldn’t get anything through the Republicans, except this $900 billion level.”
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., agreed that a new round of direct checks “may be a go” at some point. “This is not a stimulus bill, it’s a relief bill,” he said. “And it’s something for the next three to four months to help those in greatest need.”
The proposal is expected to include about $300 per week in bonus federal unemployment payments, providing relief just as emergency aid payments at regular benefit levels are set to expire at year’s end. It would extend a freeze on evictions for people who cannot pay their rent and reauthorize the Paycheck Protection Program to give a second round of subsidies to businesses struggling through the pandemic.
Reports also mention they are hung up on liability overhaul — a sticky part of any Covid relief deal. They do appear to have figured out the state and local piece — they will tie it to population, based on revenue loss and expenditures with a cap. Their total is $160 billion, which includes tribes.
Illinois Driver License Offices Closed Through January 4th
Illinois driver services facilities will remain closed for in-person business until Jan. 4
due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Jesse White announced
Friday. White’s office is encouraging people to use its website, www.cyberdriveillinois.com, for
most services, including renewing driver’s licenses, identification cards and license
plate stickers.
A handful of facilities will remain open for new drivers only. Facilities around the state have been closed since Nov. 17 due to the surging coronavirus but were scheduled to reopen Monday.
The secretary of state’s office also is reminding the public that the expiration date for driver’s licenses and IDs has been extended through June 1. The office also is expanding online renewals for qualified drivers.
Drivers and residents whose cards carry an expiration date between Feb. 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021, will receive a letter in December with a personal identification number needed to renew online. Those with expiration dates of Feb. 1, 2021, or later will receive a letter about 90 days before the expiration date.
The Year of Transition
The first phase of the global pandemic will be over by New Year’s Eve. It’s looking increasingly likely that the FDA will issue emergency use authorizations of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s Covid vaccines after meetings scheduled for Dec. 10 and Dec. 17. Operation Warp Speed officials say they’re ready to start vaccinating health care workers within a day or two of the FDA’s official nod.
That’s when the second phase of the global pandemic will start: the year of transition. It took more than two decades after the polio vaccine was approved before the United States eradicated the disease. Covid-19 may be with us in some form or another for years, even if vaccines are very effective and the rollout is perfectly smooth.
Still, 2021 should be a year of small victories, each one inching us back toward pre-pandemic life. Here is an interview with two vaccine experts, Mark Slifka at the Oregon National Primate Research Center and Peter Hotez at the Baylor College of Medicine, to get their take on how the year may play out.
January: The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines each require two doses, taken three or four weeks apart. The first dose isn’t likely to confer immunity, so the first batch of health care workers won’t be fully vaccinated until early next year.
— Signs of normalcy: None. Holiday gatherings from December and early January will continue to accelerate the outbreak, leading to elevated hospitalizations and deaths.
February: Vaccine supplies will still be limited. The CDC recommended today that long-term care residents should be prioritized along with health care workers.
— Signs of normalcy: The Super Bowl will likely continue as scheduled on Feb. 7 in Tampa, but the Biden administration and state health officials will probably warn people against throwing watch parties at their homes.
March: States are charged with distributing still-limited supplies of the vaccines and determining which adults get high priority. Those over the age of 65 are expected to be at the top of the list. More data about the safety and efficacy of vaccines should be available from people who got the vaccine in December and January, including whether either vaccine causes major side effects in adults, Slifka said.
— Signs of normalcy: March Madness, the college basketball tournament that was canceled in 2020, will get under way in a bubble in Indianapolis.
April: By now two additional vaccine candidates, from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, could get emergency use authorization from the FDA. Public health experts also expect to see additional therapies get EUA from the FDA, further reducing Covid deaths.
— Signs of normalcy: Major League Baseball has scheduled opening day for April 1, and the season could go smoothly if the vaccine proves to be effective, Hotez said.
May: Anthony Fauci has said that most adult Americans could get a Covid vaccine by this month. States should have worked out distribution problems by now.
— Signs of normalcy: High school and college graduations could be back on — though they will still be socially distanced and masked.
June, July, and August: We should start to learn how well vaccines work to not just keep people from getting Covid, but also whether they keep people from spreading Covid.
— Signs of normalcy: The paralyzing terror of not knowing whether you or a family member will end up in an intensive care unit from a shopping trip or a dinner party will start to lift. Air travel will pick up.
September: By next fall, drugmakers will have a year of safety data on Covid vaccinations. This data will help answer a key question: whether a vaccine confers longer-term immunity. With several companies producing vaccines, there’ll also be more information on which vaccines are most effective for different groups such as the elderly, those with certain conditions and kids.
— Signs of normalcy: Fauci has said that NFL stadiums could be full by next September.
October: Happy Halloween? Goldman Sachs analysts are predicting that vaccinations will be available to kids by next October. Right now, drug companies have not yet tested Covid vaccines on children under the age of 12 (or pregnant women), saying they want to wait until there’s more safety data available for adults.
— Signs of normalcy: Schools will close because of snowstorms and not Covid outbreaks and kids can go trick or treating.
November and December: If everything goes as planned — the vaccines are safe, they provide lasting immunity, there are enough doses and they get distributed properly — the second phase of the global pandemic will end a year from now. Yet even in 2022, Covid won’t be a distant memory. Fauci has said that vaccines won’t completely eradicate the virus. People in high-risk groups might still wear masks or avoid crowded gatherings.
— Signs of normalcy: Twenty-pound turkeys will sell out at Thanksgiving and wine — and regret — will flow at company holiday parties.
Program Notices & Reminders
Business Services Webinar from the Workforce Center of Will County
Join this Webinar to learn how the Workforce Center can assist your business with resources you need to find, hire, and retain hard-working employees.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
To register for the webinar please click on the link below:
https://bit.ly/36e7yY8
ComEd Bill Assistance
Small-business customers can visit ComEd.com/SmallBizAssistance or call 1-877-4-COMED-1 (1-877-426-6331) to learn more or apply for the Small Business Assistance Program.
ComEd’s bill-assistance programs also include flexible payment options for residents, financial assistance for past-due balances and usage alerts for current bills. Any customer who is experiencing a hardship or difficulty with their electric bill should call ComEd immediately at 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more and enroll in a program.
Business Interruption Grant
Funds still remain and the program is still open for application. Please visit:
https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/SmallBizAssistance/Pages/C19DisadvantagedBusGrants.aspx
SBA EIDL
Low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are still available to Illinois small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and private nonprofit organizations.
The SBA has opened a Virtual Business Recovery Center to apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via the SBA’s secure website at https://DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov/. Business owners and residents should contact the SBA Customer Service Representatives at
(800) 659-2955 for assistance in completing their applications. Requests for SBA disaster loan program information may be obtained by emailing FOCE-Help@sba.gov.
Tell Congress to Make PPP Loans Deductible – Call to Action
The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, or PPP, was passed in order to provide small businesses across the United States crucial relief during widespread government shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans can be forgivable when proceeds are used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest and utilities. Congressional leaders intended for PPP funded expenses to be deductible like other business expenses.
Despite the intent of Congressional leaders, additional legislation is needed to make PPP funds used to pay business expenses deductible. The failure to allow these deductions will have a devastating impact on small businesses struggling to keep their doors open and retain their employees.
Are you a small business owner who thought salary and expenses paid by PPP loans would be deductible? In partnership with the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), we’re asking you to please contact your Congressional leaders and ask them to sponsor and strongly advocate for legislation that makes salary and other businesses expenses paid for by a PPP loan deductible!
You can contact your Senators and House Representative here: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=10057
See below for two articles for further information / aid on PPP forgiveness and deductibility
7 Resources for PPP Loan Forgiveness Help
https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/ppp-loan-forgiveness-resources?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=SFMC&utm_campaign=MO_Newsletter&utm_content=2020_11_25
Will You Owe Taxes on Your Paycheck Protection Loan?
https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/finance/tax-implications-of-paycheck-protection-loans
SBDC at JJC Update
Here is a list of upcoming programs delivered from the Small Business Development Center through Joliet Junior College:
Funding Your Business
Date: 12/8/20
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (CST)
Funding your business is critical for start-ups as well as companies who are looking to expand. Establishing business credit is the first step. Get a basic understanding of what banks look for to qualify for a loan from Nancy Kuzma of Old Plank Trail Community Bank/Wintrust Community Bank. https://ilsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/33653
Video Marketing for Small Business
Date: 12/10/20
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (CST)
Video production once meant bringing in a full production crew to produce a television commercial. Now, a child can produce a quality video on their phone. And that video is a very important component to your website, social media pages, product information, as well as your local advertising. Learn the benefits of video marketing and hear from Mike Puglitsch at Acclaim Media about how easy the process can be. https://ilsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/33572
Website Development
Date: 12/15/20
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (CST)
A website is more than just a placeholder to occupy property in cyberspace. Your website should be the central point that your social media, SEO, email marketing, pay per click ads, content, CRM…. orbit around to generate business for your business. Join Jason McCoy from WSI to discuss how to develop a website that meets your needs. https://ilsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/33652
21 Topics in 21 Minutes for 2021 Growth
Date: Scheduled one-on-one session
In less than 30 minutes, the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Joliet Junior College will help you prioritize key 2021 business plans whether it is for your people, your product, your marketing, your sales, your money, or the impact of this crisis. In this short, one-on-one exercise, we will help you determine up to three of the biggest opportunities for growth in the year ahead. We will offer no-cost tools to develop your strategy for success in those areas. Email us at SBDC@JJC.edu and we will send you a link for registration.
Finally, we will host our next Virtual Conference on Thursday, December 10th.
Town Hall Meeting – A follow up on the last 6 months
Please join the Joliet Chamber for an interactive virtual conference with community leaders from various business sectors including education, healthcare, and governmental affairs, for a follow-up conversation to the last Town Hall Meeting.
Panel of Speakers will include Dr. Arvid Johnson from the University of St. Francis, Ruth Colby from Silver Cross Hospital, Sue Olenek from the Will County Health Department, Barry Kolanowski from Senior Services Center, and Mike Paone from the Joliet Chamber. Here is the link to register: http://jolietchamber.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-webinar-december-10-town-hall-meeting-5978
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
mpaone@jolietchamber.com
815.727.5371 main
815.727.5373 direct