{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-covid-relief-provisions-benefiting-missouri-small-businesses", "Blunt Highlights COVID Relief Provisions Benefiting Missouri Small Businesses", "2020-12-29", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.)\r\nhighlighted some of the small business provisions in the COVID relief package,\r\nwhich was signed into law this week, that he led or cosponsored to help support\r\nlocal Missouri businesses.\r\n \r\nSmall businesses create the majority of new jobs in our country and shape the\r\ncharacter of the communities they serve, said Blunt. Small business owners\r\nhave done their part to keep people safe during the pandemic. We need to do our\r\npart to ensure they have the support they need to stay afloat, keep their\r\nemployees on the payroll, and come back stronger than ever. I was proud\r\nto lead legislation reducing the tax and regulatory burden on Missouri's craft\r\nbeverage industry, which supports tens of thousands of jobs and contributes\r\nbillions to our state's economy. As home to thousands of world-class live\r\nentertainment venues and museums, I was also proud to support dedicated funding\r\nfor independent venues that have been particularly hard hit and are at risk of\r\npermanently closing. The COVID relief package also extends and improves the\r\nPaycheck Protection Program, which has saved millions of jobs nationwide. I'm\r\nglad another round of relief is on its way to our state, and I will continue talking with small business owners to\r\nensure they are getting the help they need.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Paycheck Protection Program: The COVID relief package\r\nincludes $284 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and focuses\r\nrelief on the hardest hit businesses. The package expands the number of\r\nallowable and forgivable costs paid with PPP loans to provide businesses with\r\nmore flexibility. The package also incorporates provisions from the Small\r\nBusiness Expense Protection Act, which Blunt cosponsored, to ensure business\r\nexpenses paid using forgiven PPP funds are tax deductible, as well as the\r\nPaycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act, which Blunt cosponsored,\r\nproviding for simplified loan forgiveness for PPP loans up to $150,000. The\r\npackage also includes a Blunt-backed provision to expand PPP eligibility for\r\nlocal newspapers, TV and radio stations, and public broadcasters that produce\r\nand distribute local news and emergency information. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act: The\r\npackage includes provisions from the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax\r\nReform Act, which Blunt introduced,\r\nto permanently reduce taxes and modernize regulations for brewers, cider\r\nmakers, vintners and distillers. Missouri's wine industry supports nearly 30,000 jobs and contributes $3.2 billion each year to the state's economy.\r\nMissouri's beer industry is responsible for more than 57,000 direct and indirect jobs and nearly $3 billion in wages and benefits. Missouri's\r\nspirit industry is responsible for nearly 30,000 jobs and contributes $1.9 billion to the economy.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Save Our Stages Act: The package includes $15\r\nbillion for independent venues, including live entertainment venues, movie\r\ntheaters, museums, and zoos. The National Independent Venue Alliance\r\nestimated that 90% of all independent venues would close without additional\r\nfunding.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-covid-relief-provisions-benefiting-missouri-small-businesses"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4027429278939962, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}