WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Joe Machin (D-WV) today led a bipartisan letter with 17 other senators asking that local trade and professional associations become eligible for assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in any future coronavirus stimulus bill.
The letter to Senate leadership and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship requests support for 501(c)(6) associations, which are major drivers of Main Street economic development. These entities include regional chambers of commerce, nursing professional organizations, state certified public accountant societies, state restaurant associations, and tourism and hospitality leagues, among others.
“At this exceptionally difficult time, [these associations] are providing critical guidance on resources to help small business weather the current economic downturn. Unfortunately, just like the small businesses they serve, many of these community leaders are now experiencing their own financial challenges. If these organizations are unable to survive, the path to recovery for our hard-hit Main Street economy will be even more difficult,” the senators wrote.
Joining Cassidy and Manchin in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Doug Jones (D-AL), Steve Daines (R-MT), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Angus King (I-ME), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Boozman (R-AR), Jon Tester (D-MT), James Lankford (R-OK), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
Read the full letter by clicking here.
###