Our legislators need to know that our small businesses are important to our communities across Massachusetts and these measures have your support.
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The Massachusetts hospitality and travel sector is one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, losing billions of dollars in 2020, and is facing another tough year. Leisure, hospitality, and retail sectors make up an estimated 20% of Massachusetts jobs and they are driving forces in our local economies.

Although the sector has received some financial support from both the state and federal government, for some it was hard to access, and for most, it was not enough to cover the losses they have incurred since a state of emergency was declared in the state in March 2020. This is why additional measures need to be passed by the state legislature in 2021 to provide businesses with the financial relief they will need now and for years to come as we begin to recover from the economic damage caused by this public health crisis.

Local business advocates are again calling on Beacon Hill to pass legislation introduced earlier this year arguing that small businesses need continued support from state government, not only to continue to recover from the economic impacts from the ongoing global pandemics, but also to protect them from corporate power.

The measures introduced in the 2021 legislative session that are the focus of this petition are extending the ability for restaurants to sell cocktails to-go, extending third-party delivery fee caps, and providing grants to small businesses that started in early 2020 and haven’t been eligible for any government assistance.

These include:

Ensuring small businesses get the business interruption insurance coverage they paid for at a time when so many small businesses throughout our state have had their business operations interrupted in some way, insurers have been strictly denying all claims under business interruption coverage saying the current situation doesn’t fit the insuring agreement - that pandemics are not covered.
a bill has been introduced in both the House and the Senate that would compel insurance companies to pay out on legitimate claims

Instituting a permanent cap on 3rd party app delivery fees companies like Grub Hub, Door Dash and Uber Eats are price gouging local restaurants for use of their services (and they have their sights set on other sectors). The Massachusetts state government put a temporary cap on those fees. These caps need to be made permanent and the predatory practices of these companies reigned in.

Extending the measure that allows restaurants to serve to-go beverages. A bill has been introduced in the Senate that would extend the ability of restaurants to sell cocktails to-go for two more years. Many independent restaurants have considered adding alcoholic beverages to their take-out menus a lifeline this past year and one that is needed as they continue on the road to recovery.

Enabling new businesses that have not been eligible for any available funding access to the financial relief they need many organizations that were established at the beginning of 2020 have not been eligible for state or federal funding opportunities, A proposal in the Senate would provide $5 million in grant funds for businesses and nonprofits that opened their doors just before the pandemic impacted the state.