CHICAGO – At a press conference Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled an update to Phase 4 mitigations and capacity limits, known as the Bridge to Phase 5. State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), who has been a strong advocate for developing a safe, gradual reopening plan for the state, praised the announcement as a step in the right direction for the hospitality industry.

“Today’s announcement from Gov. Pritzker shows a true commitment to bringing jobs and revenue back to Illinois and to putting our state back on the road to recovery,” Feigenholtz said. “Hotels and other indoor venues have been closed for nearly a year, resulting in devastating losses to jobs, business and revenue. Now there is some light at the end of the tunnel for an industry that is the state’s second largest source of jobs.”

Feigenholtz chairs the Senate Tourism & Hospitality Committee. The committee has held several hearings featuring testimony from industry leaders, and Feigenholtz credits those hearings for having an impact on the governor’s newly announced plan.

“Planning and discussing a path forward is the only hope we have to bring jobs back and keep the tourism and hospitality industry alive,” Feigenholtz said. “I am confident that further details about capacity in hotels and conventions will be emerging soon. The hospitality industry desperately needs to get back on its feet.”

Last week, Feigenholtz penned an op-ed encouraging the governor to reopen venues. In the Bridge to Phase 5 plan, indoor venues can operate at 60% capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is fewer. In addition, individuals with proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from within the previous 3 days will not count against capacity.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to help provide immediate relief to bars and restaurants that are struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) moved a measure through the Senate Wednesday to bolster the hospitality industry.

“The hospitality industry is struggling, and this plan brings them relief,” Feigenholtz said. “We have to pull every lever we can to keep doors open and cash flowing for our independent restaurants and bars. The industry can’t wait.”

The legislation is known as the Hospitality Recovery Act, and it makes several changes intended to help give a boost to struggling businesses in the restaurant and hospitality industry. It extends the sunset on cocktails-to-go until 2024 and allows single servings of wine to be available for delivery. It also creates several new provisions, such as flexible sales tax payments and allowing retailers to purchase inventory with credit cards.

“The restaurant and bar industry employs nearly 590,000 people in Illinois. Over 120,000 of those jobs have been lost since the beginning of the pandemic,” Feigenholtz said. “Jobs have to come back to this industry, which is comprised of 63% minority workers who are struggling with feeding their families and paying their bills.”

Senate Bill 104, which comes as a follow-up to a similar Feigenholtz-sponsored measure from the previous General Assembly, received unanimous support as it passed the Senate. It will now head to the House of Representatives.

SPRINGFIELD – A new measure sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) would require the Department of Children and Family Services to submit an annual report detailing certain information about Illinois’ youth-in-care.

“Issues run deep at DCFS, and this annual report will give us accurate information about how they deal with our state’s most vulnerable population,” Feigenholtz said. “Children who are already living with mental illness are being hospitalized to the point of deterioration. Their path to recovery must include being released from inpatient psychiatric care in a timely manner so they can begin to return to their families.”

Senate Bill 106 requires DCFS to submit an annual report, detailing:

• The number of youth-in-care placed in out-of-state residential facilities;
• The number of youth not under DCFS guardianship who were subjects of child welfare investigations where the youth was hospitalized in inpatient psychiatric hospitals during the department’s involvement; and
• The number of youth-in-care who remain in emergency rooms for longer than 24 hours while awaiting admission to a psychiatric hospital bed.

Further information, such as age and date, must also be included. The bill also requires that the report be published on DCFS’s website.

“Kids are deteriorating while being kept in these hospital settings for too long,” Feigenholtz said. “We need to be sure they are released to a residential facility in a timely manner. This report will provide us with crucial data, and we are committed to holding the Department accountable. These are our kids. They are not disposable.”

The bill passed the Senate Health Subcommittee on Children and Family on Monday, and awaits consideration before the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – A hospitality package sponsored by Senator Sara Feigenholtz that seeks to provide immediate relief and help manage cash flow for struggling bars and restaurants passed out of the Senate Tourism and Hospitality committee.

“Every day, another restaurant and bar closes its doors,” Feigenholtz said. “Any lever we can pull to keep cash flowing and doors open for our independent restaurants and bars must be a priority. I am eager to see this legislation make its way through the Senate so we can provide immediate relief to our struggling hospitality industry.”

SPRINGFIELD – With Illinois small businesses still reeling from COVID-19’s economic impact, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) is sponsoring a measure that will permit local municipalities to use TIF funding to help struggling businesses.

“Every day, we see another small business closing its doors,” Feigenholtz said. “This bill provides local government with one more lever to keep independent small businesses alive.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) would further streamline the state’s adoption process while removing redundancies and red tape.

“Reaching the final steps of the adoption process is a wonderful experience, but the final steps can be confusing and laden with red tape,” said Feigenholtz, who is herself an adoptee. “In an effort to make a challenging process less so, this bill fine tunes and clarifies some issues that often arise while finalizing an adoption.”

Industry leaders looking for green light to safely kick-start industry

CHICAGO – The first hearing of the Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee, chaired by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), convened earlier today to discuss an industry that has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The hospitality and tourism sector generates nearly a million jobs among hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, and supporting industries, and over 60% of those employed are from disproportionately impacted areas,” said Feigenholtz. “These jobs have been decimated due to the pandemic, and our focus needs to be on establishing a coordinated path and predictable plan to get this industry open and moving.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) will chair the first hearing of the Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee at 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

The hearing will cover the strategic plan for COVID-19 recovery and relief in the hospitality industry and will feature testimony from representatives of various areas of the industry, including Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association; Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association; Jayne Deluce from the Champaign County Visitors Bureau; and Cara Bader, representing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.