Save Our Stages Act Included in Senate Small Business Relief Bill

The $370 billion Heroes Small Business Lifeline Act, a Senate Democrat bill aiming to provide relief to small businesses will extend provisions from the most recent Heroes Act, including support of the Save our Stages Act.

The bill also proposes support for the Restaurant Act and extends the Paycheck Protection Program through March 2022.

The legislation is an answer to the Republicans own relief proposal, which lacked adequate support for small businesses.

"The HEROES Small Business Lifeline Act meets the scale of the need in our country-providing grants, affordable long-term capital, and small business debt relief to the most vulnerable and hardest-hit small businesses and sectors," said one of the bills co-sponsors, Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said. "COVID-19 cases are rising every day. Senate Republicans' proposal to only reinstate eight weeks of PPP is not enough to get small businesses and their employees through the pandemic."

$10 billion in emergency arts funding would be made available via the Save Our Stages Act that also includes new, critical worker protections, including provisions to ensure that workers who earn a mix of traditional and independent employment income can fully access the unemployment assistance provided in the CARES Act.