Rep. Dan Caulkins said CARES is will provide relief for many small businesses.
Rep. Dan Caulkins said CARES is will provide relief for many small businesses.
As Illinois residents and citizens across the country will soon receive a payment from the federal government under terms of the CARES Act, State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) responded by issuing a statement when the act was passed at the end of March.
“Congress just passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) that provides needed relief for the many Central Illinois small businesses – restaurants, hotels, music venues, bars, and others – suffering through the government-mandated ‘social distancing’ period,” said Caulkins. “We need to make sure workers in the 101st House District have jobs to return to once we defeat coronavirus. And defeat it we will."
“Our respective governments—federal, state, and local—have asked us, with good reason, to practice ‘social distancing’ to contain the spread of the virus. As a result of instituting nationwide social distancing and other measures state and local governments are taking to inhibit the spread of the virus, businesses are hurting and need help. The just-passed CARES act provides that relief.
“Admittedly, I have reservations about its complexity, scope, and pork, and I believe that an infusion of capital to workers and businesses is only going to be effective if we have a path back to economic function. We need that as soon as possible because small businesses can’t borrow and Americans can’t plan for an uncertain restart,” said Caulkins.
As numbers have continued to rise across the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued stay-at-home executive order that he subsequently extended through April 30. When he initially issued the order, Pritzker said it was based on projected infection rates.
"I don't come to this decision easily," Pritzker told media members following his announcement. "I fully recognize that in some cases, I am choosing between saving people's lives and saving people's livelihoods. But ultimately you can't have a livelihood if you don't have your life."
The governor stressed the importance of public health over a healthy economy. "We can revive our economy. We can't revive the people who are lost to this virus."
As of April 7, the numbers of known coronavirus cases in Illinois totaled 13,549 including 380 deaths, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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