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The Daily
Edition for Monday, May 4, 2020 |
To view this Daily Impact online, click here. |
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Welcome to
your Daily Impact newsletter! |
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As a valued member of
the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you every
afternoon, through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We
intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well
as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine
during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in
navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and
comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community. |
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Do you have a question? ASK THE EXPERTS. |
We are here to
help in any way we can! |
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$317 Million Awarded To
Small Maine Businesses In Second Bailout Round |
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Today, Mainebiz reported that a
total of $317 million in loans have been awarded to 9,000-plus small
Maine businesses so far in the second round of the federal Paycheck
Protection Program, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Amy
Bassett, director of the agency's Maine District Office, said that 9,026
loans has been awarded to Maine businesses by Friday, with an average loan
size at $35,145 - which is critical help for some of Maine's smallest
businesses, she said. The news comes after Gov.
Janet Mills last week announced a plan to gradually reopen the state's
economy in stages, and pressure from some business groups and owners to move
up the timetable. Mills has underscored the plan is subject to adjustments in
both directions. |
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To Reopen, Maine Needs To
Test Far More People. Here's What It Will Take. |
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The Bangor Daily News reported
early this morning that having
enough testing capacity - for doctors to order COVID-19 tests for their
patients whenever they need to, and get results quickly - would ultimately
allow residents to better know if they could go to work or visit with
friends, help employers make decisions about their business operations, and
allow public health agencies to better track and respond to emerging outbreaks. |
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Maine State Chamber Presents Free Wednesday Webinar Series |
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SERIES SPONSORS: Bangor Savings Bank,
Central Maine Power Company, Additional webinars will be
forthcoming, and sponsorship
opportunities are available. Registration or general questions can be
directed to Angela Arno, director of programs and events for the Maine State
Chamber of Commerce, by emailing aarno@mainechamber.org or
calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 104. |
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Wednesday,
May 6 | Starting at 11:00 a.m. CHALLENGES FOR MANUFACTURING, This webinar will focus on
challenges for manufacturing due to the impacts of COVID-19 on international
trade and energy. Guest speakers are John Murphy, senior vice president for
international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Christopher Guith,
senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber's Global Energy Institute; and,
Anthony W. Buxton, Esq., a partner at PretiFlaherty. Register here | Sponsored by PretiFlaherty |
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Wednesday,
May 13 | Starting at 11:00 a.m. RECENT STATE AND FEDERAL TAX CHANGES This webinar will focus on
federal tax changes contained in the CARES Act and changes made at the state
level that provide support for businesses during this pandemic. Additional
topics also include a look at the ever-changing landscape at the federal
level for additional stimulus funds and what those changes might look like. Register here | Sponsored by Pierce Atwood and WIPFLi,
LLP |
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Maine State Chamber Webinar Series | Recordings and Recaps |
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Pingree Calls For Unrestricted
Direct Cash Relief For Small Business |
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On April 29, Congresswoman
Chellie Pingree cosponsored
the Restore America's Main Street Act, legislation to support small
businesses by providing them with unrestricted direct cash relief to keep
their businesses in operation. HR
6619 would create the first-ever small
business rebate check to pay employees, rent, and other general
businesses expenses. The Restore America's Main
Street Act targets the smallest businesses and focuses on getting them
immediate and unrestricted relief through a small business rebate check.
These rebates could be used to pay employees, rent, debt service, and vendors
to help these businesses keep their lights on. Qualifying small businesses
with $1.5 million or less in gross receipts and 50 or fewer employees would
receive a check equal to 30% of the gross receipts reported in a previous
year, up to $120,000. Self-employed and certain charitable organizations will
also be eligible for the rebate. No application would be needed, as direct
relief would be provided to qualifying businesses. |
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Golden, Collins, King Push
SBA To Make PPP Relief Available To Critical Access Hospitals Like Calais, Penobscot
Valley |
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On Friday, Congressman Jared
Golden, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, and U.S. Senator Angus King took
action to protect access to health care and preserve important economic
drivers in rural Maine. The lawmakers pressed Small Business Administration
Administrator Jovita Carranza to amend her agency's yet-to-be finalized
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rules to make non-profit critical access
hospitals currently undergoing Chapter 11 reorganization, like Calais
Regional Hospital and Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, eligible for PPP
relief. Due to their Chapter 11
status, the two critical access hospitals had their applications for PPP aid
automatically rejected last month, as COVID-19 continues to increase their
costs and limit their revenue. Absent relief, reports indicate both hospitals
may be forced to close within months. |
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To reserve your banner
ad in the Daily Impact,
please contact Melody Rousseau |
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Senators Collins, King
Announce 121 Rural Maine Health Providers To Receive $131.5 Million To Support
Fight Against COVID-19 |
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U.S. Senators Susan Collins
and Angus King announced
Friday that 121 Maine rural health care providers - including hospitals,
clinics, and community health centers - will receive $131,501,672 through the
CARES Act that they voted for.
Senators Collins and King have previously
announced a total of $187,806,676 for Maine hospitals and other health
care providers to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Keeping the doors open to rural hospitals is critical to helping protect the health of residents in the surrounding communities. This funding will provide crucial support to rural medical providers at a time of enormous stress on our health care system," said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. "We will continue our efforts to provide doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals on the front lines with the resources they need to safely treat patients." Rural hospitals, many of which
were operating on thin margins prior to COVID-19, have been particularly
devastated by this pandemic. As healthy patients delay care and cancel
elective services, rural hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open.
Rural acute care general hospitals and critical access hospitals will receive
a minimum $1,000,000, with additional payment based on operating expenses. |
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King, Colleagues Introduce
Legislation To Streamline Medical Supply Production Chain For Increased
Manufacturing Of Life-Saving Supplies |
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U.S. Senator Angus King has
cosponsored legislation that outlines a specific, responsive framework for a
coronavirus response by federalizing the supply chain for critical medical
supplies and equipment, that includes oversight procedures to maintain integrity.
The Medical
Supply Transparency and Delivery Act requires the president to utilize
all available authorities under the Defense Production Act to mobilize a
federal response to the pandemic through an equitable and transparent
process. The legislation is supported by AFL-CIO, SEIU, the National Nurses
United, and United Steelworkers. Senator King has repeatedly
pushed for strong federal leadership to address the coronavirus pandemic. He
has previously cosponsored legislation that would direct the Administration
to invoke
the DPA federalize the manufacturing and distribution of scarce in-demand
medical supplies, and has worked with the rest of the Maine Delegation to
repeatedly push
for additional PPE to protect the Maine people working on the frontlines
of the coronavirus response. Last month, he urged Vice President Mike Pence
to conduct
a national inventory of the coronavirus diagnostic testing supply and to
provide a detailed plan and timeline for addressing future shortages and gaps
in the testing supply chain. Additionally, he raised concerns about the
administration's reliance
on private companies to distribute desperately needed medical supplies
during the coronavirus pandemic. |
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Use the Maine State Chamber's blog and Daily
Impact to tell your story! |
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Numerous Maine companies stepping up or pivoting nimbly, as
Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. Share
your perspective and experience with us and with the rest of the business
community. How are you facing and overcoming the challenges posed by this
pandemic? What are you and your employees doing in this dramatically
different economy? Tell us about the innovations your company or employees
are making or ways you have adapted your company to meet your customers' needs.
Each blog entry should
be 300 to 500 words. Join us in creating a written history of the business
community's resilience and innovation during this extraordinary time. Please submit your entries to blog@mainechamber.org. For more information
or questions, please contact Mark Ellis by emailing mellis@mainechamber.org or by calling (207)
623-4568, ext. 109. |
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This USM Nursing Student Just Started Work In One Of Maine's
Coronavirus Hotspots |
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The Bangor
Daily News reported today that Lt. Col. David Shoemaker, a resident of
Portland, will soon be a graduate of the University of Southern Maine's School of
Nursing. Following his retirement from 20 years
of active duty in the U.S. Army as a microbiologist helping to develop
medical products for the Department of Defense, he enrolled at USM and is now
scheduled to graduate in August from the 15-month program. In the
meantime, he's working part-time as a certified nursing assistant (CNA),
lending his services in one of Maine's coronavirus hotspots - the Maine
Veterans' Homes facility in Scarborough. The 125-bed home is one of six
long-term care facilities in the state facing an outbreak of COVID-19. Shoemaker,
who has only been certified as a CNA for a month, is one of 193 nursing
students and faculty members from the university system volunteering to work on
the front lines of fighting COVID-19 in Maine - helping out at the veterans'
home in Scarborough (53 cases) and Tall Pines Retirement and Healthcare
Community in Belfast (43 cases). "CNA work is humble work. It's not about developing a new vaccine, a new drug or a new diagnostic test," Shoemaker said. "It's helping someone bathe and brush their teeth. It's feeding someone who can't feed themselves. It's taking someone to the bathroom and getting them cleaned up. What really strikes me is that it's really about caring for some very special human beings, and as a veteran, it's very humbling for me to serve these veterans, some of whom are in the sunset years of their lives." |
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the Daily
Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau |
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