Less than one week after the Mississippi Legislature reconvened and unanimously voted to strip Gov. Tate Reeves of the power to spend over $1 billion in CARES Act emergency funds, the delegation will return to Jackson on Thursday to map out a plan to help the state’s small businesses.
According to a Tuesday release, legislative leadership is working to craft a plan that will provide funding to small businesses that are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The backbone of our economy in Mississippi is our small businesses, and now they need our support,” Speaker of the House Philip Gunn said. “The two chambers will act together to provide relief as quickly as possible this week.”
Over the past couple of weeks, Reeves has been relaxing some of the measures he took through executive order to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, but even as restaurants plan to reopen in a limited capacity on Thursday, they and other small businesses that have been forced to either close or operated in a limited capacity have been struggling.
“We know Mississippi’s small businesses—our local restaurants, barber shops, hair salons, and retail shops—need help. Our legislators are best prepared to meet their needs because they represent the entirety of the State,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.
The Legislature, according to the release today, will set parameters and allocate funds to a state agency to administer whatever aid package is formulated.
