$900 Million Package announced

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has announced a $900 million package. Pritzker joined members of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucuses of the state legislature and small business owners to announce the package. The package is a state grant program to help communities and businesses impacted by the pandemic and recent civil unrest.

More than $900 million are included in more than ten programs and four state agencies. They will help the working families and small businesses who have been hit the hardest by COVID-19’s economic impacts. On top of the COVID-19 pandemic, the families and small businesses were also hit by recent property damage and civil unrest.

Pritzker said, “We are in a moment that requires a historic effort to mitigate this virus’s devastating effects on the health and livelihoods of the residents of this state.” He added, “We must do so in a way that prioritizes those who were hurting long before we’d ever heard of COVID-19 – to be there for people who are in need, people who are falling through the cracks, people who never expected themselves to need a helping hand from anyone else – but now they do.”

Pritzker said the federal CARES Act and General Assembly partnership including Black Caucus, Latino Caucus, and Asian Caucus, the state government is trying to support the community and businesses with a package of over 900 million dollars. All Illinois residents are impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Households with limited resources are disproportionately affected. Businesses across every industry sector have faced significant economic strain. The new package of grant programs operates with equity requirements to make sure families and businesses receive ongoing support to maintain their livelihoods.