INFORMATION YOU NEED TODAY AND TOMORROW
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Michigan Small Business Restart Program Grant Application Opens Today
The Michigan Small Business Restart Program Grant application opens today, 7/15/20, at 9 am and runs through Wednesday, 8/5/20. Saginaw Future Inc. and Regional partner representatives will review applicants, once the application window has closed on 8/5/20, and will select local award recipients no later than September 30, 2020.
Saginaw Future will receive $3,545,455 to distribute to multiple counties in Region 5. Grants will be disbursed to small businesses with 30% of the funds going to minority-owned, woman-owned and veteran-owned businesses.
Eligibility Requirements
Businesses and nonprofits located in Michigan, with 50 or fewer employees worldwide, and that have NOT received a grant under the first round of the Michigan Small Business Relief Program (MSBRP) are eligible to apply. Businesses must also demonstrate the following:
- Be part of an industry or nonprofit that can demonstrate it has been impacted by the COVID-19 emergency
- Demonstrated need for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expenses.
- Demonstrate an income loss as a result of the COVID-19 emergency as determined by the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF).
Questions? Contact MEDC’s Help Center at (888) 522-0103. They are available to assist Monday through Friday from 8am – 5pm.
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Executive Order Allows Remote Education and Supervision for Pharmacists
Executive Order 2020-152 extending a provision of her earlier COVID-19 emergency order on pharmacies that allows student pharmacists to continue training under remote supervision. The order also scales back other provisions of that order that waived aspects of the Public Health Code in order to give pharmacies more flexibility and operational capacity to cope with the enhanced demands of COVID-19.
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Saginaw Chamber Joins Michigan Chamber Coalition Advocating for COVID-19 Liability Protections for Businesses, Universities, Schools, Nonprofits and Other Entities
The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce has joined a statewide coalition coordinated with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce to advocate for COVID-19 liabiity protections for business, universities, schools, nonprofits and other entities. The coalition has sent the below advocacy memo to Governor Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, and the members of the State Senate and House.
DATE: July 13, 2020
RE: Need for COVID-19 Employer Liability Reform
As we continue to carry on during this unprecedented time, government officials, employers, employees, and customers are all grappling with questions about how we can best balance safety with the need to continue to live and work.
As different organizations have been allowed to reopen and resume operations, the safety of their employees and customers has been a top concern. Following the precautions and safety measures set forth by the Governor and other health organizations and agencies to help stop the spread of COVID-19 is critical for the health of every Michigan resident.
Our organizations support common sense legislation to assure that all employers in all sectors who take reasonable steps to follow public health guidelines, will be protected against needless lawsuits. The legislation we are seeking would be a win-win in that it will incentivize employers to protect and promote workplace and customer safety and protect organizations against the acute economic threat of COVID-19 related lawsuits.
We urge you to support commonsense COVID-19 legal reform measures and begin moving it through the legislative process as soon as possible. An outline of the proposed legislation is below. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any one of the organizations listed above.
- Duty of Care for Premise Owners – We support protecting businesses and other entities from claims alleging that they negligently exposed an individual to COVID-19. The proposed legislation provides that a premise owner is subject to liability only if he or she intentionally or recklessly disregards a substantial risk that would increase the likelihood that an individual would be exposed to COVID-19, or intentionally exposes a person to the virus. In other words, if a business knew, for example, that one of its employees had COVID-19 and permitted that person to continue to work, that business would be subject to liability. Likewise, if a business was aware that a customer or client who frequently visited was diagnosed with COVID-19 but took no action to clean and disinfect the business, it could face a lawsuit.
- Safe Harbor for Following Public Health Guidance - As businesses operate during the pandemic and reopen, they continue look to guidance on how to do the right thing by minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for their customers and employees. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has issued executive orders and guidance providing specific requirements for operating during the pandemic and reopening. We support clarifying that a business should not be liable in a lawsuit alleging that that the steps it took were insufficient to protect a person from exposure to COVID-19 when it followed public health guidance applicable to employers at that time.
- Actual Injuries - Just as a person would not sue for contracting the flu at work or while visiting the supermarket, we support legislation that distinguishes legitimate claims from no-injury lawsuits. Just one of these “no injury” lawsuits in a fragile economy can be the death knell for an organization that is attempting to reopen.
- Encouraging Production of Vital Products – There was and continues to be a vital need for personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and respirators, ventilators and other medical equipment, and other products designed to guard against or treat COVID-19. Some manufacturers have quickly increased their production of critical products in response to the crisis, which could lead to compromised quality control. Others are making products they do not ordinarily produce to help, posing a risk of a flaw in the product’s design, instructions, or warnings. The proposed legislation places a reasonable limit on the liability exposure of anyone who makes, sells, or donates certain needed products for use by government entities, health care providers, first responders, or essential businesses during the pandemic including PPE and cleaning supplies. Any person involved in making these products would remain subject to liability if he or she knew of a defect in the product that was likely to cause the injury and nevertheless disregarded that knowledge when it made, sold, or donated the product.
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Saginaw Chamber Receives Contribution for Continuing Programs/Operations during COVID-19 Shutdowns
The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank and acknowledge a $3,000 grant contribution from John Sivey and Connie Costrewza-Sivey for use to continue programming and operations during the COVID-19 shutdowns. The grant was part of a $10,000 personal contribution to MEDC funds which provided small business grants earlier this year.
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Michigan Dept of Labor & Economic Opportunity Announces Toolkit to Help Workplaces Stay Safe
To further protect workers and the community, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s
Executive Order 2020-147 reiterates that businesses that are open to the public must refuse entry and service to individuals who fail to comply with wearing a face covering. The Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) stands at the ready to provide the tools necessary for business to protect their workers and remain safely open.
Under the governor’s order, businesses must post signs at all entrances instructing customers of their legal obligation to wear a face covering while inside – to assist employers with this requirement, a
print-ready poster is available online. LEO and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) have a set of online resources at
Michigan.gov/COVIDWorkplaceSafety that provides guidelines, posters for employees and customers, factsheets, educational videos and a
reopening checklist to keep workplaces safe.
Studies have shown that wearing a mask can save lives and significantly lower an individual’s chance of spreading COVID-19.
A study on different regions in Germany, for example, suggests that the adoption of mandatory mask ordinances decreased the daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections by 40 percent.
Modeling from the University of Washington similarly indicates that more than 40,000 lives would be spared nationwide if 95% of the population wore a mask while in public. Furthermore, a study conducted by Goldman Sachs concluded that a federal mask mandate could save the U.S. economy from taking a 5% hit to our GDP.
"We will remain vigilant to equip employers and their staff with proper guidance and tools needed to keep Michigan workplaces safe,” said COVID-19 Workplace Safety Director Sean Egan. “Our priority is protecting workers and this Executive Order allows us to do that effectively."
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Resources for Business and the Community
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The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce maintains a list of federal, state, and local resources that provide aid and information for your business, employees and our community during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. This information is ever-changing, please check the Chamber's
website,
Facebook, and your email frequently.
We will add links, resources, and updates as information becomes available. We are also converting our At A Glance Newsletter to include Coronavirus links and information as well as local updates, job availability, member coupons and most importantly Member News. Please let us know what your business is doing and how you are functioning during this uncertain time. We need to stay connected and support each other.
If you are offering a service to help the Saginaw County Community or local businesses weather this storm, please email your information to
info@saginawchamber.org.
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Thank you and stay healthy.
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