Members discussed Senate Bill 104 which would provide much needed relief to these hospitality businesses.
Bob Reiter, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said hotels normally hold large conventions attracting tourists and employing hundreds of workers. However, these venues can only allow 50 guests at a time under current COVID-19 mitigations.
“We can’t exist in Governor Pritzker’s Phase 4 limbo and just hope that regulations are going to change,” said Reiter. “We need a ramp. How do we make incremental progress as the pandemic winds to a close? Help us plan a path forward that protects workers but allows them to get back to work.”
TIM KIRSININKAS
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD â Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she is hopeful outdoor events can return as early as this summer with large indoor events such as conventions and trade shows beginning in the fall.
Speaking during a Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee hearing, Mendoza said that the return to holding events would be gradual and based on a number of factors, including COVID-19 transmission and vaccination rates.
âWeâre on a favorable trajectory in the pandemic,â Mendoza told the committee on Thursday. âLetâs continue to prepare for the worst and plan for the best and optimally position ourselves to reopen with greater capacity sooner rather than later.â
In a Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee hearing Thursday, State Comptroller Susana Mendoza said she is hopeful outdoor events can return as early as
SPRINGFIELD â With COVID-19 numbers improving in Illinois and vaccinations increasing each week, leaders in the events industry want better guidance from the state on when large events can return to Illinois and how they can safely hold conventions. Now we need to plan for the future. We can t exist in just the Phase 4 limbo and hope the regulation changes in the next few weeks as the numbers get better, Bob Reiter, the president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, told a Senate committee on Thursday.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the hospitality and tourism industries in the state have been devastated by the pandemic and ensuing restrictions. She cited numbers showing dramatic losses in the hotel industry over the past year. In fiscal year 2019, state hotel tax revenue hit $300 million, which dropped to $250 million in fiscal year 2020. It has now dropped to $42.5 million in the first half of fiscal year 2021, leaving the state on pace to see an annual revenue de
With COVID-19 numbers improving in Illinois and vaccinations increasing each week, leaders in the events industry want better guidance from the state on when large events can return to Illinois and how they can safely hold conventions.
“Now we need to plan for the future. We can’t exist in just the Phase 4 limbo and hope the regulation changes in the next few weeks as the numbers get better,” Bob Reiter, the president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, told a Senate committee on Thursday.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the hospitality and tourism industries in the state have been devastated by the pandemic and ensuing restrictions. She cited numbers showing dramatic losses in the hotel industry over the past year. In fiscal year 2019, state hotel tax revenue hit $300 million, which dropped to $250 million in fiscal year 2020. It has now dropped to $42.5 million in the first half of fiscal year 2021, leaving the state on pace to see an annual revenue decline of $215