New York has been on PAUSE since March 7th, but the bills have not paused. The rent has not paused. NOTHING has paused except our ability to survive. Most businesses that have closed this year cite rent as the number one reason.
Pandemic rent debt is
killing small businesses and jeopardizing millions of jobs and billions of dollars in payroll that over 50% of New Yorkers depend on. We cannot afford to continue to let small businesses fail.
We are a coalition of New York state small businesses urging our elected representatives to do their job and pass legislation that saves small businesses from rent debt they have incurred due to the pandemic.
Please learn more about and support NY State Assembly Bill A03190, providing critical rent relief to small businesses, small landlords, and not-for-profits devastated by the Covid-19 outbreak & PAUSE order. Together we can shoulder the burden of recovery from this crisis.
Under the bill, a small business or small non-profit (covered tenants) that has suffered a demonstrable loss in income resulting from state mandated closures or state imposed restrictions would affirm its losses to the state Department of Financial Services (DFS). Upon verification by DFS, the covered tenant would pay its landlord the lesser of 20 percent of its revenue or ⅓ of the contractual rent per month, beginning March 7, 2020, and continuing for 180 days past the end of the NYS on PAUSE period.
The landlord would waive 20% of the contractual rent. An impacted landlord would be eligible to apply to DFS for lost income beyond the 20%. $500,000,000 of expected federal aid would be dedicated to the establishment of a DFS program providing relief to tenants and landlords.
If Assembly Member Harvey Epstein's Save Our Storefronts bill (A03190) becomes law, New York State will pay the remaining amount of the lease from federal relief money. SOS strongly supports this legislation because it calls on landlords and commercial tenants to face the rent crisis together—to share the burden of saving the city we love.
We are stronger in numbers but even more so when they are quantifiable. Please sign up to send an email to your elected officials. It's easy...you enter your address and within two clicks you will be able to send your support for small business rent relief to elected officials who represent your district.
And share our posts that you like with your friends. As a coalition of small business owners we do not have the financial resources to buy ads and hire lobbyists. YOUR help in spreading the message is invaluable!
Tell your favorite local small business owners that we are stronger when we stand together and we need them to sign up with us. If you are a small business owner, click here to send an email to your representatives and to sign up to share your story with us.
We need people all over the state to help organize local actions, speak with their local representatives and business owners, distribute printed materials, and help spread the word. Sign up to our volunteer email list and let us know where you are located. We will be in touch!
Support this bill by Senator Brian Kavanagh and the identical NY Assembly bill A10936 by Yuh-Line Niou will establish the Covid-19 small business recovery lease act.
Support this bill by Senator David Carlucci and the identical NY Assembly bill A10297 Kenneth Zebrowski will prevent outrageous unemployment insurance hikes in the wake of furloughs due to the pandemic.
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