House Passes Carbajal-Backed Bill to Provide New Relief Funding for Central Coast Restaurants and Small Businesses

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Salud Carbajal that provides urgently-needed relief for small businesses across the Central Coast.

The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will deliver $55 billion to replenish funding for California restaurants and establish a new program supporting other small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

"Small businesses are the foundation of our Central Coast economy and are helping power our historic recovery," said Rep. Carbajal. "Through the American Rescue Plan, I helped create the Restaurant Revitalization Fund--a lifeline for hundreds of Central Coast businesses to help them reopen, recover, and rehire. Today, I proudly voted for legislation that I've backed which will build on that success: enabling restaurants that weren't able to take advantage of this program the first time to access essential relief in the wake of the omicron wave. This bill will also establish a new program to support California's hardest-hit small businesses, delivering assistance to businesses that have suffered revenue losses of at least 40 percent during the pandemic."

Established through the American Rescue Plan in 2021, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) distributed $5 billion to restaurants across California--including over $97 million for more than 400 restaurants in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.

Due to its popularity, the program quickly exhausted its funding before more than 170,000 eligible businesses could access relief. The Relief for Restaurants & Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will provide $42 billion to replenish the RRF so that these restaurants can apply for this assistance.

The legislation passed by the House today also takes action to support other struggling small businesses:

- Providing $13 billion to establish the Hard Hit Industries Award Program, which will assist California small businesses with 200 or fewer employees that have experienced 40 percent or more in lost revenue.
- Updating the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program to provide Central Coast entertainment venues with more time and flexibility to use federal relief funds.

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