ILBA INFORMATIONAL UPDATE MAY 19

ILBA INFORMATIONAL UPDATE MAY 19, 2020

COVID19 DISRUPTION – TUESDAY MAY 19, 2020

ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RETURNS TO SPRINGFIELD:
A Special Session will convene on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 and will be limited to Budgetary, COVID19 Pandemic, Economic Recovery, Constitutional Amendments, and a few other issues.

ACTION ALERT: BARS AND RESTAURANTS MUST OPEN!

Alcohol pouring establishments have been closed for in-person visits for more than two months in Illinois.  The current planned earliest opening for bars and restaurants is June 26, 2020 in the 4^th phase of Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois program  Contact your Illinois State Representative and Illinois State Senator now while they are working in Springfield and ask that bars and restaurants reopening be included in the 3^rd phase of Restore Illinois beginning May 28, 2020.  Find your State Representative and State Senator here:  www.elections.il.gov    Bars and restaurants in Illinois must reopen ASAP!

Daniel D. Clausner
ILBA Executive Director

ILBA PRESIDENT JEFF VOGT’S MESSAGE:

We are experiencing difficult times and our businesses need to reopen ASAP.  Our ILBA has been very active providing updates and making phone calls and writing letters to the Governor and other elected officials.  ILBA Executive Director Dan Clausner has also been having conference calls and Zoom meetings with numerous General Assembly Committees, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and the Illinois Gaming Board.  The ILBA has helped to secure:

• Wine & Spirits Distributor product return
• Beer Distributor product return
• On-premise sales of beer, wine, and liquor
• Bars to reopen in the same phase as restaurants
• Federal relief programs
• And more

The ILBA is continuing to advocate and request the following:

• Allow bars and on-premise establishments with valid liquor license to sell cocktails/mixed drinks for off-premise consumption.
• Allow VGT’s to be moved by Terminal Operators to provide social distancing without the need for an IGB representative on-site.
• Return to the previous Illinois Gaming Board policy of splitting municipal gaming terminal fees between terminal operators and the licensed location rather than 100% fee payment by location.
• Remove any restrictions on state liquor license renewals for 90-120 days upon reopening.
• Suspend the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) retailer delinquency list for non-payment of liquor invoices to 120 days.
• Do not require county public health inspections to re-open. Inspecting all businesses would cause further delay.  The businesses were operating before the shut-down.  Many businesses have completed deep cleaning or remodeling during the COVID19 disruption.
• Allow VGT’s to be turned on at the same time as bar/restaurant reopening’s.
• Suspend the implementation of the state’s next minimum wage increase until July 1, 2021.
• Suspend the 1% VGT Tax increase for 1 year from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. (from 33% to 34%)

Jeff Vogt
ILBA State President