NFIB State Director Mark Grant released the following statement today concerning Governor Pritzker’s decision to begin Phase 4 of the reopening on Friday, June 26:
“Our members are relieved that Illinois is finally moving to Phase 4 of the reopening, although we wish Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly had acted on our call to delay the minimum wage increase on July 1. Our members appreciate the chance to grow customer activity and optimistically hire more workers, but an immediate hike in wages could put a damper on bringing folks back into the workforce.”
“We were encouraged to hear that Illinois will be using $60 million of its CARES Act money to provide Business Interruption Grants (BIG) to help 3,500 small businesses hardest hit from the extended shutdown. NFIB will continue to push our elected leaders for COVID-19 liability protections for small businesses.
“When we surveyed our members last month, most of them said they were concerned about the threat of lawsuits that try to exploit the pandemic. We believe the legislature must do everything it can to protect small businesses that follow the rules and do everything in their power to protect the health and safety of their customers and their employees.”
