Stec: State help for restaurants, hospitality industry needed

State Senator Dan Stec (R,C,I-Queensbury) is supporting a comprehensive legislative agenda focused on helping restaurants and the hospitality industry. 

“The impact on our hospitality businesses, in terms of jobs and revenue lost, due to the COVID shutdown and restrictions has just been enormous,” said Stec.

“Long-time, successful small business, fixtures in our communities, have been closed.  Many others are just barely hanging on.  These businesses are in need of a lifeline and a show of support from state government that we get it and that we will do all we can to help.”

At a press conference in Albany today, led by Senator George Borrello, a restaurant owner from Western New York, Stec and his colleagues announced a package of bills that aim to provide relief to business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures included would:

Exempt small businesses from being penalized with higher unemployment insurance rates due to layoffs resulting from COVID-related, government-mandated closures. The exemption would extend for a period of one year from when they are permitted to return to full capacity;

Provide small businesses additional time to pay monthly sales and payroll taxes as well as business and property taxes;

Provide a one year extension for renewal of liquor licenses;

Direct SLA fines into a business relief fund; and

Create an employee retention tax credit, modeled after the Federal Employee Retention Credit, to help employers keep workers on payroll.

“Taking action on these and other measures would help businesses stay open, which we very much need to make an economic recovery possible,” said Stec.

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