Rock Island Today

Federal

The U.S House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet on the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022, a pandemic aid package for small businesses that would provide $42 billion for additional restaurant relief and $13 billion for other hard-hit industries. The appropriation is expected to backfill the original Restaurant Relief Fund. It will not reopen the fund to new applicants.

The funding would be dedicated to a new “Hard Hit Industries Award Program” for businesses that have not received prior pandemic relief through grants or forgivable loans. The bill also extends the timeframe businesses have to spend funds until March 17, 2023 

Illinois

Illinois Senate Democrats unveiled a $1.8 billion tax cut proposal. Most of the proposals in Senate Bill 1150 are temporary and include:

• A 10-day stay on taxes on school supplies and qualifying clothing
• A six-month pause on the grocery tax
• A motor fuel tax increase
• One-time direct payments
  • $100 for single filers who made less than $250,000 in 2021
  • $200 for joint filers earning less than $500,000 in 2021

SB 3146 passed both chambers and amends the One Day Rest in Seven Act making violations a civil rather than a petty offense.

• Employees who work more than 7.5 continuous hours receive an additional 20-minute break for every additional 4.5 continuous hours worked
• Employers with fewer than 25 employees can be fined up to $250 per offense
• Employers with 25 or more employees would not exceed $500 fine per offense

The Innovations for Transportation Infrastructure Act is headed to the Governor for signature. It authorizes the Illinois Department of Transportation to use the design-build method and allow a business to both design and start construction on a project.

Beginning April 1, 2022, tours, rallies and events will be permitted inside the Illinois Capitol building. Masks are recommended, but not required.  

Iowa

The Iowa House Appropriations Committee approved the FY23 proposed budgets for Health and Human Services and the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. The Iowa Senate has not yet considered any FY23 budget bills sent from the House.

Senate File 2373 was approved, a bill that would make significant changes to Iowa’s bottle law. It would allow dealers to:

• Opt-out of redemption
• Increase the distributor handling fee by two cents
• Decrease the beer barrel tax by six cents a gallon
• Codify unredeemed deposits to distributors
• Place civil enforcement to the Department of Natural Resources and Attorney General.   

One of Governor Kim Reynolds's top education priorities was approved. Senate File 2369 would create a Student First Scholarship Program and authorize up to 10,000 scholarships per year. Parents could use the scholarship for qualified education expenses including private school tuition and fees.