Call to Action: Congress Needs to Hear from You Now

Attention Industry People:

It's time to act, and we mean now.

As you probably know, Congressional negotiations over the new stimulus bill are stalled. The executive orders signed by the president over the weekend are most likely unconstitutional and are unlikely to survive any court challenge; in any case, they don't provide the protection that small businesses and freelancers need. We need to make our voices heard, as loudly as possible, to save our industry. Michael Strickland, of Bandit Lites, whose inside knowledge of Washington operations has guided us through this crisis, is urging everyone to push for the RESTART Act.

So, two things:

Go to https://helpsmallbusinessesnow.com/ and add your name to the letter written by Howard Schultz, former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, and signed by dozens of prominent business leaders. (You can download the full letter at this website for your perusal.) The deadline is Wednesday (August 12) at 5:30pm.

The key points addressed in the letter:

*Federally guaranteed loans, at favorable terms, to enable small businesses to transform and sustain themselves through 2020 and well into 2021.
*Businesses should have flexibility to determine how loan funds are used.
*The hardest-hit businesses should be eligible for at least partial loan forgiveness.
*Relief needs to be delivered expeditiously.

Next, reach out to your senators and Congressional representatives, asking them to support and co-sponsor RESTART. (Find them at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.) This should happen ASAP.

You can use this template, modifying it as you wish:

Dear XXXX,

The live event industry has been at zero income since March 13 and will remain so until well into 2021. The complete lack of income is destroying the people, the firms, and the industry.

As you know, this was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing forced shutdown of all venues and large gatherings.

The original round of PPP passed by Congress was vital and appreciated but it was long ago depleted. It is imperative that Congress provide vital funding to assure the survival of the live event industry. I kindly request that you both support and cosponsor the RESTART Act.

This act, or something like it, must pass immediately as most individuals and firms have long since run out of money.

This cannot wait another two weeks.

I urge you to consider passing RESTART as a clean bill to save American small businesses.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and support for the live event industry, and all such affected small businesses.

Thank you for everything you have done for our country, it is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
Phone

As always, the only way to get action is for a critical mass of voices to be heard. Our previous calls to action have succeeded in getting the attention of legislators. We believe that the current lack of progress is due to certain specific issues and it is vital that both sides come together and resolve their differences.

Act quickly and keep checking www.lightingandsoundamerica.com, http://plasa.me/lsacovid19resources, and www.namm.org for updates as they happen.

Thank you and stay well!

Lighting&Sound America