These are the Members of Congress Who have Co-sponsored the RESTAURANTS Act

The Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive Act—better known as the RESTAURANTS Act—was introduced to the House of Representatives on June 15, 2020.

Almost 50 days since Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the bill, identified by the House as H.R. 7197, there hasn’t been much progress. The bill was referred to the committees on Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means, and that’s about all that has taken place. Studies have likely been conducted but the bill doesn’t appear to have been released by any of the committes to which it was referred, nor has it been scheduled for debate or vote. Congress has had nearly two months to act on the RESTAURANTS Act.

Meanwhile, thousands of restaurant owners and operators have endured expensive ups and downs. They’ve endured a cycle of costly closures and reopenings. The industry has tried to navigate ever-changing rules and restrictions. Owners have spent their limited resources on the acquisition of enhanced sanitation products, consults with attorneys, and the development of delivery and takeout infrastructures.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs. The restaurant industry doesn’t just employ front- and back-of-house employees. When restaurants are forced to close, the impact is felt beyond their four walls. Ranchers, farmers, fishers, bakers, brewers, distillers, winemakers, truck drivers, distributors, brands… Those businesses employ millions of people “outside” of the restaurant industry. When restaurants close at today’s unprecedented and terrifying rate, it’s not “just” an owner going bankrupt or “just” their workers who lose jobs.

Projections show the industry stands to lose hundreds of billions of dollars this year—our devastated economy can’t afford that loss. It certainly can’t sustain the current unemployment rate of 11.1 percent; last year at this time, the rate was 3.7 percent. States’ mostly outdated and overwhelmed systems are struggling to keep up with claims. Enhanced unemployment benefits were allowed to run out despite congresspeople and senators being well aware of when they’d expire. Things are beyond grim.

However, there is some good news. Since H.R. 7197 was introduced, 150 congresspeople have co-sponsored the bill (148 Democrats, 3 Republicans). Nine members of Congress co-sponsored the bill the day it was introduced by Rep. Blumenauer, and another 31 followed suit by the end of June. Another 111 members of the House co-sponsored the RESTAURANTS Act in the month of July, including 33 co-sponsorships last week.

The growing number of co-sponsorships, a signal by a representative that a bill is important to them and their constituents, shows that the restaurant industry’s campaign to obtain real and reasonable government relief has been working. The voices of hospitality professionals, their family members and friends, customers, and supportive communities are being heard.

Below is a list of the 151 co-sponsors of the RESTAURANTS Act. They deserve to be recognized for their support—and encouraged to drum up more support among their peers. The bill will need 218 votes to move to the Senate, where it will need 51 votes to pass. They’re not votes but 151 co-sponsorships provides some degree of optimism this bill will pass.

Time is running out for the industry. Yelp has reported that 60 percent of restaurants that closed temporarily have since closed permanently. It’s still crucial that people tell Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act.

And it’s not out of line to remind politicians the important role restaurants have long played in their campaigning and fundraising efforts.

Original Sponsor & Co-sponsors

This list is organized alphabetically by state, with corresponding members of Congress named in the order they announced co-sponsorship of the RESTAURANTS Act. Based on the most recent co-sponsorships, last announced July 31, 2020.

Image by travis1776 from Pixabay