Hagerty, Blackburn Urge SBA to Implement the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant as Congress Intended

Press Release

United States Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in a letter to Small Business Administrator (SBA) Isabella Guzman urging her to ensure the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) emergency relief program is implemented and funding is distributed to eligible recipients as Congress intended.

"The Administration's recent announcement that it is "aiming to reopen the portal by the end of next week' is encouraging, and we urge the Administration to make every effort to meet this goal. As you correctly point out, "this funding is urgently needed now.' With each passing day, more independent businesses are forced to shutter permanently or file for bankruptcy. Landlords and banks are no longer permitting deferrals and are pressing for immediate payment of past due accounts; businesses are receiving eviction notices; mom-and-pop businesses are being forced to sell. The Administration's announcement is critical to these businesses as they work to meet existing debt obligations during these unprecedented times," the Senators wrote.

From Johnson City to Memphis, many live venues and performers and museum operators have had to temporarily close due to the global pandemic. The Save Our Stages Act, now the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, was passed with strong bipartisan support in December to prevent widespread closures of shuttered venues, but months later the program is still not operational.

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