Publicado
Mon, Dec 21, 2020, 06:04
- The bill, which could be voted through as early as Monday, includes the Save Our Stages act.
Late Sunday night, Congress struck a deal on a Covid-19 relief bill providing $900 billion in aid, including $15 billion for venues, independent movie theaters and other cultural institutions.
The long-in-the-works bill includes the Save Our Stages act, which would provide independent venue owners with six months of revenue to cover rent, utilities, maintenance, personal protective equipment, mortgages, administrative costs, taxes and expenses.
"I'm especially pleased this this bill will provide money for bars and restaurants, and $15 billion in SPA grants for theater operators and small venue operators through the Save Our Stages Act," stated Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor (Rolling Stone). "These venues are so important to my state and so many other states across the country. They are the lifeblood of our communities. They were the first to close and will be the last to open. This bill gives them a fighting chance."
The news comes at a critical juncture for independent venues in the US—nearly 100 US venues, including the U Street Music Hall in Washington, D.C. and Re-bar in Seattle, have shuttered since the onset of the pandemic.
"If it's the $15 billion they were looking for, that should go a long way towards stabilizing the situation for a lot of places for the next six months, or however long it takes to get to a point where venues are able to start reopening," Jesse Peterson of the LA venue Zebulon told RA.
We'll have more details on the rollout of the Stage Our Stages act—as well as the omnibus Covid-19 relief package—as they're available.