$250 Million in New Small Business Grants
Yesterday, Governor JB Pritzker announced the launch of the Back to Business Grant Program (B2B), which will distribute $250 million in grants to small businesses impacted by the pandemic. The B2B application portal will open next Wednesday, August 18.
The B2B program will award one-time grants of between $5,000 and $150,000 to cover operations, staff payroll, and other overhead costs for Illinois small businesses. This program is available to businesses that had revenues of $20 million or less in 2019 and a reduction in revenue in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Priority will be given to small businesses in the following categories:
- Hardest Hit Industries: such as hotels, arts organizations, fitness centers, and child care providers
- Hardest Hit Areas: businesses located in the 176 identified Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs)
- Businesses who have yet to qualify for state or federal assistance programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), Business Interruption Grant (BIG), or Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG)
- Businesses that had less than $5 million in revenue in 2019
A full list of eligibility guidelines can be found here. Eligibility guidelines are also available in Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic.
The B2B application period opens next Wednesday, August 18 on the DCEO website. Applicants will need to provide:
- Business owner ID (ITIN accepted)
- Business’s 2019 AND 2020 Federal tax returns
- Two business bank statements – one from the period April through December 2020, and most recent statement
The DCEO application portal has been updated to expedite processing and allow business owners to track their application status in real time.
Over 100 community navigators can provide one-on-one assistance with your grant application. Community navigators are available in every region of the state and can provide assistance in multiple languages. Locate a community navigator here.
For more information about the Back to Business Grant Program, please consult the list of FAQs or visit the DCEO website.
2021 Spring Legislative Session, the Illinois General Assembly passed two bills impacting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic liquor in Illinois.
Public Act 102-0008 (Senate Bill 104)
Signed into law by Governor Pritzker on June 2, 2021, Public Act 102-0008 (“Public Act”) affects the sale of alcoholic liquor in three primary ways:
Cocktails to Go
In 2020, Cocktails to Go was enacted to allow bars and restaurants impacted by the pandemic to sell mixed drink cocktails for delivery. The law originally was dueto expire on June 2, 2020 but the Public Act extends the law until January 3, 2024. Furthermore, in addition
to mixed drinks and cocktails, bars and restaurants may be permitted to sell single servings of wine and ready to drink cocktails in a can (sealed by the manufacturer). It is important to know, however, that retailers selling Cocktails to Go must abide by conditions set forth in the Public Act outlined in this bulletin.
Retailer Use of Credit Cards
For the first time, the Public Act permits a licensed retailer to purchase wine and spirits from a licensed distributor with a credit card. The completion of a wine and spirits purchase through the use of a credit card is considered full payment and is irrevocable. If the retailer chooses to contact the credit card issuer to reverse the transaction more than 30 days after the invoice date, the retailer may be deemed delinquent and be unable to continue to purchase wine and spirits.
House Bill 2620
(Not enacted as of the date of this newsletter)
HB 2620 makes significant changes to the Illinois Liquor Control Act impacting numerous areas of the alcohol beverage industry and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.
It is advised that all licensees go to this link to read all of the changes proposed by HB 2620.
Below is a summary of some of the significant changes:
- Creates Class 3 Brewer license (licensee may manufacture beer, distribute beer, and has full retailing privileges).
- Creates Beer Showcase permit – With the issuance of a Beer Showcase Permit, a Class 3 brewer and distributors may transfer a portion of their product to sell to
non-licensees at a designated and permitted location.
- Permits crossover (beer, wine, spirits) craft manufacturing privileges.
- Expands brewer retail privileges (may sell mead).
- Expands brewer retail privileges to sell for curbside pickup.
- Increases license fees for out-of-state manufacturers who self-distribute beer (to match in-state license holders).
- Requires craft brewers to submit annual production reports to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission and Department of Revenue.
- Expands winery self-distribution privilege to distribute cider and mead to all types of brewers.
- Wine maker may lose full retail privileges if they obtain other craft licenses.
- License Fee Increase for first-class wine makers and first-class wine manufacturers.
- Delinquency List Reporting – Wine and spirits distributors will report delinquencies to ILCC directly (effective January 2022).
- Cooperative Purchase Groups- Wine and spirits distributors must offer quantity discounts to Cooperative Purchase Groups.
- Retailer to Retailer Transfers – Expansion of circumstances under which a retailer may make transfers of alcoholic liquor to another retailer. For more information or explanation of the 2021 legislative changes to the Illinois Liquor Control Act (both effective and proposed), please contact the ILCC Legal Department at ilcc.legal@illinois.gov.
Driver’s License and Id card expiration dates have been extended until 1/1/2022.
Extension of Liquor License Renewal Date: Now December 31, 2021
ILCC buildings re-opened to the public on August 2, 2021.
Liquor licenses expire on the last day of each month. Provided there are no further business interruptions, restrictions or regional mitigations, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission will not grant any further license renewal extensions beyond this amendment. Renewal dates of State liquor licenses and the collection of license renewal fees will take place as follows:
- All licenses with a renewal date of March 31, 2020, or after are automatically extended to December 31, 2021 (This action supersedes the Commission’s prior license extension action through June 30, 2021).
- No late fees will be charged until after January 1, 2022.
- License renewal fees are due at time of renewal. This extension does not change the fee for renewal nor prorate any fees paid for renewal of a license, nor change the future renewal date of a license. **** Your 2020 license is not forgivable; it was just delayed and will need to be paid before or at the same time as your 2021 license.
- License fees are not refundable.
IMPORTANT: License holders do not have to wait to renew licenses. If a license holder chooses to renew a license when it originally expires or at any time between original license expiration and December 31, 2021, the license holder may renew a license online at MyTax.Illinois.gov. License holders are encouraged to renew licenses prior to December 31, 2021, to avoid administrative delays at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021. Do not wait until the day of license expiration to renew your license.
Welcome New ILBA Members:
Recently the following businesses have joined the ILBA:
The Rusty Reel, Effingham Linda’s Just One More, Quincy
The Dock, Quincy On the Rail Sports Bar & Grill, Quincy
Harrison Pub, Quincy Quincy Boat Club, Quincy
Mr. Bills Bar & Grill, Quincy Sandbar Imports, Rockford
Dan Clausner
Executive Director