PRINTER'S NO. 4253
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2791
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY CIRESI, T. DAVIS, KOSIEROWSKI, BRIGGS, GALLOWAY,
HARKINS, McNEILL, LONGIETTI, SAINATO, MADDEN, DALEY,
MALAGARI, ZABEL, MERSKI, KIRKLAND, KULIK, DELLOSO, HILL-
EVANS, SCHLOSSBERG, KINSEY, McCARTER, ULLMAN, FREEMAN,
NEILSON, KENYATTA, DONATUCCI, HANBIDGE, KRUEGER, OTTEN,
BURNS, WILLIAMS, SNYDER, SANCHEZ, WARREN, DEASY, WEBSTER,
KIM, PASHINSKI, DRISCOLL, SIMS, DERMODY, FRANKEL, HOHENSTEIN,
ISAACSON, GOODMAN, DeLUCA, COMITTA, MULLINS, SAPPEY,
FITZGERALD, HOWARD, ROZZI, INNAMORATO, SCHMITT, SHUSTERMAN
AND FIEDLER, AUGUST 13, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, AUGUST 13, 2020
AN ACT
Establishing the COVID-19 Community Restaurant and Catering
Business Grant Program and the COVID-19 Community Restaurant
and Catering Business Grant Fund to provide grants to
restaurant businesses impacted by COVID-19.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the COVID-19
Community Restaurant and Catering Business Grant Program Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"CARES Act." The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act (Public Law 116-136, 134 Stat. 281).
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"Department." The Department of Community and Economic
Development of the Commonwealth.
"Fund." The COVID-19 Community Restaurant and Catering
Business Grant Fund established under section 4.
"Proclamation of disaster emergency." The proclamation of
disaster emergency issued by the Governor on March 6, 2020,
published at 50 Pa.B. 1644 (March 21, 2020), and any renewal of
the state of disaster emergency.
"Program." The COVID-19 Community Restaurant and Catering
Business Grant Program established under section 3(a).
"Restaurant business." A nonfranchise employer in this
Commonwealth that satisfies all of the following criteria:
(1) The employer has a 72251, 72241, 722320 or 722330
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
designation from the United States Census Bureau.
(2) The employer's gross annual receipts for the prior
fiscal year did not exceed $5,000,000.
Section 3. Establishment of program.
(a) Establishment.--The COVID-19 Community Restaurant and
Catering Business Grant Program is established within the
department.
(b) Duties of department.--The department shall provide
grants under the program in accordance with this act to
restaurant businesses that are adversely affected financially
due to the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, identified in
the proclamation of disaster emergency.
Section 4. Establishment of fund.
The COVID-19 Community Restaurant and Catering Business Grant
Fund is established as a special fund in the State Treasury.
Money appropriated under section 11 shall be deposited into the
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fund to be used exclusively by the department to award grants to
restaurant businesses under the program.
Section 5. Grant application forms.
(a) Development.--The department shall develop a grant
application form for restaurant businesses to apply for a grant
under the program. At a minimum, the grant application form
shall contain the following information:
(1) The name, address and contact information of the
restaurant business.
(2) The amount of grant money requested under the
program.
(3) The proposed use for the grant money requested under
the program.
(4) The financial impact on the restaurant business
due to the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, identified
in the proclamation of disaster emergency.
(5) Any other information that the department deems
necessary and appropriate.
(b) Submission.--A restaurant business must submit the grant
application form under subsection (a) to the department in a
manner prescribed to be eligible for a grant under the program.
Section 6. Award of grants.
(a) Review.--No later 20 days after receipt of the grant
application form under section 5(a), the department shall review
the grant application form, determine whether to award a grant
to the restaurant business under the program and determine the
amount of the grant money to be awarded to the restaurant
business if applicable.
(b) Considerations.--In determining the amount of the grant
money to be awarded to the restaurant business, the following
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shall apply:
(1) The department shall consider all of the following:
(i) The geographic and demographic diversity of the
restaurant business.
(ii) How the restaurant business and the surrounding
community of the restaurant business would be served
through the award of the grant money to the business.
(2) The department may require documentation and
information regarding the gross annual receipts and employees
of the restaurant business.
(c) Notice.--After conducting a review and making a
determination on a grant application under subsection (a), the
department shall provide written notice to the restaurant
business of the award or denial of a grant under the program.
Notice of the award of a grant under the program shall include
the amount of the grant money awarded and any conditions or
restrictions on the use of the grant money. Notice of the denial
of all or part of the grant money requested under the program in
the grant application shall include the reasons for the full or
partial denial.
Section 7. Public notice.
The department shall provide information regarding the
availability and award of grants under the program on the
department's publicly accessible Internet website.
Section 8. Limitation on award of grants.
Subject to the availability of funding, a grant to a
restaurant business under the program shall not exceed $20,000.
Section 9. Reports.
(a) Preparation.--No later than 60 days after the notice is
published under section 12(a), the department shall prepare a
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report that lists each restaurant business that received grant
money under the program and a summary of the information
specified in each grant application under section 5(a).
(b) Publication.--The department shall post the report under
subsection (a) on the department's publicly accessible Internet
website.
Section 10. Guidelines.
The department may promulgate guidelines for the
implementation and administration of this act.
Section 11. Appropriation.
In addition to any other money made available to the
Commonwealth for COVID-19 relief, the sum of $100,000,000 of the
money available to the Commonwealth under the CARES Act is
appropriated to the department for the purpose of awarding
grants under the program.
Section 12. Expiration.
The authority of the department to award grants under the
program shall expire 30 days after the termination or expiration
of the proclamation of disaster emergency.
Section 13. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 30 days.
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