Bill would expand payroll aid to small gaming businesses

By John Sadler

Friday, April 17, 2020 | 6:45 p.m.

Nevada’s congressional delegation is proposing legislation to expand a federal small-business stimulus program to businesses that rely on gaming revenue.

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, whose district makes up much of Las Vegas, introduced the bill in the House. It would expand the Paycheck Protection Program to include small businesses with gaming revenue of any amount.

Under Treasury Department rules, the program only applies to businesses with gaming revenue under $1 million or less than 50% of total income in 2019.

“If you look at the language of the (stimulus package), it’s very clear,” Titus said. “It explicitly states that all small businesses should be eligible to receive a loan if they have 500 or fewer employees, so I don’t know why they decided to stick that additional requirement on there.”

The program, which offers businesses forgivable loans to cover payroll and some other expenses, is out of money. But Titus said she suspects the bill will be attached to the next stimulus package.

Congress is expected to reconvene on May 4, at the earliest.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, Nevada Democrats, will introduce a companion bill in the Senate.

“The SBA’s relief programs have been a critical aid for hundreds of small businesses across Nevada, but the SBA’s discriminatory regulations have prohibited hundreds of companies from accessing this relief," Cortez Masto said in a statement. “This legislation will ensure that the Silver State’s small gaming businesses will finally be afforded the same lifelines as everyone else.”

The House legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei, a Republican from Northern Nevada, Steven Horsford, a Democrat whose district covers much of North Las Vegas and rural Nevada, and Susie Lee, whose district covers a large part of Henderson. 

Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Paul Gosar of Arizona also cosponsored the bill.