Congressman Cleaver Votes for Additional Relief Funding for Missouri’s Restaurants and Small Businesses

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3807, the Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act. A cosponsor of the legislation, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) voted in favor of the bill, which would provide $55 billion in urgently needed relief for small businesses throughout Missouri and across the country as they continue to recover from the global pandemic.

"It's a cliché because it's true: small businesses are the backbone of America's economy. And their success is crucial to ensuring our historic economic recovery remains equitable and on track" said Congressman Cleaver. "When Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan last March, one of the core components was the Restaurant Revitalization Fund—which provided a lifeline to small businesses throughout the Show Me State, allowed them to keep workers on payroll, and kept local economies from enduring a slow and stagnant recovery from the global pandemic. While this lifeline has helped power small businesses for more than a year, as the pandemic persists, it's clear that more must be done support restaurants and other small businesses that have been hardest hit or unable to access relief funds. That's why I cosponsored this legislation and why I'm happy to see the House of Representatives pass it with bipartisan support."

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) was established through the Cleaver-supported American Rescue Plan Act and distributed $28.6 billion to restaurants across the country—including $284,160,480 to 1,200 businesses in Missouri. While the RRF was able to assist more than 101,000 businesses across the country, due to its popularity, the program quickly exhausted funding before more than 170,000 eligible businesses could access relief. The Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act will provide $42 billion to replenish the RRF so that these restaurants can apply for assistance.

Additionally, the legislation would take action to support other struggling small businesses by:

• Providing $13 billion to establish the Hard Hit Industries Award Program, which will assist Missouri small businesses with 200 or fewer employees that have experienced 40 percent or more in lost revenue due to the pandemic.
• Updating the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, of which Congressman Cleaver was a strong supporter, to provide Missouri entertainment venues with more time and flexibility to use federal relief funds.

"As we continue to build on the historic job and small business creation that has occurred during the Biden administration, I will always look for ways in which Congress can support the mom-and-pop restaurants and truly small businesses that make Kansas City and America truly great," said Congressman Cleaver. "I cosponsored the Relief for Restaurants and Other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act because this legislation will do that, and I'm hopeful the Senate will quickly send the bill to President Biden's desk for signature."

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.