[MainstreetManagers] Main Street Advocacy Update

[Vicki Davis]

Good morning, OK Main Street!  I hope you are doing well.

Below is some information regarding President Biden's proposed COVID relief funding.  I encourage you to keep updated information in mind for any outreach and advocacy opportunities you may have in the near future.  It is important for our legislators to understand the need of our Main Street small businesses and the importance of enabling our Main Street programs (both at the state and local levels) to continue providing critical support for the benefit of our downtown businesses.  When I met with our Senator last fall, I presented him with who OK Main Street is; expressed appreciation for the funding provided in the CARES ACT; outlined the request for the next relief funding; and provided examples of how our local program was assisting business during this time, etc.  His immediate response was in the form of a question:  "Are you suggesting funding in addition to what was already given?".   Do you know what your answer would be?  You better.   Please do not pass up any opportunity to talk with your elected officials . .. from local, state, and congressional.

Okay, so as promised, here is the information from Biden's administration regarding proposed future funding.
>From Kelly Humrichouser -
As we communicated at the end of 2020 when the December COVID relief bill was passed, we are continuing a push for federal funding for Main Street in 2021. We wanted to update you on our efforts and alert you to the potential for re-engaging with Congressional offices to support the Main Street request.

Last week, the Biden administration released details of a (potentially) 2-part COVID bill. The first part of this proposal focused on RELIEF is a $1.9T bill that is outlined here<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fbuildbackbetter.gov%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2021%2f01%2fCOVID_Relief-Package-Fact-Sheet.pdf&c=E,1,VloE_OWq7t_zmpELDzHfFOulI2TecdY4SWrccrfkMOjAVaDGkPzsiV35os9iIPLhWJppdg7_PU0mfGNo2hGKc65CArolqvCqtergRu5GLvx0xM-Zfav2kHJTjWI,&typo=1>. More detail is needed for clarity, but for Main Street specific support, there are a couple buckets to be aware of:

  *   The plan includes $15B in direct grants to businesses
  *   There is $35B for loans to businesses via local programs
  *   And $3B in emergency funding for the Economic Development Administration (EDA)
The second part of Biden's plan has less detail at this time, only that we would anticipate a larger RECOVERY package following that would focus on infrastructure, among other things.

The proposal and legislative language that we have been communicating to offices since the beginning of this campaign has always been intended to fit within an allocation to EDA; our goal now would be to continue that path, aiming for the RELIEF bill,  but be cognizant of two changes:

  *   The control of power/committee structure in Congress: with Democratic control of both chambers, we will refocus our efforts slightly. We made strong connections on both sides of the aisle throughout the fall but will redouble with offices with whom we see real potential for leadership on our proposal.
  *   Minor tweaks to our language: we initially proposed a $100M competitive grant for Main Street programs, with 25% for business support activities. Thanks to you all, we have had a lot of success communicating the value of Main Street programs as business support entities. But, that 25% language can cause unneeded confusion with direct business funding programs like PPP, and as they are in no way akin, we will likely drop that from our proposal.

>From what we're hearing, efforts on this package will begin in earnest in February with a possible bill in March. Back in December, we surveyed Main Street programs about their organizations' business support activities and budget outlook. While 89% of Main Street programs report an increase in the need for business support services since the pandemic began, 66% report anticipating a reduction in budget in 2021. We are producing communications pieces - thanks to some of you - that capture that dilemma: demand for Main Street is rising; funding sources are threatened.

As we re-ramp this efforts, we hope you'll send us any updates on conversations, visits, or outreach that you may have conducted locally over the winter so far. We will stay in touch about this federal push - and larger efforts to support Main Street advocacy at the state and local level.

Thank you, again, for all your efforts, and we look forward to re-engaging with you in coming weeks.

Best,
Kelly

Have a great weekend!  Vicki
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