IN THIS ISSUE:

• GOVERNOR LEE JULY 8 MEDIA BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS: LATEST COVID-19 STATISTICS, TESTING, MASKS, SCHOOL REOPENING, OTHER ISSUES & TOPICS; MEDIA BRIEFING & TN DEPT OF HEALTH LINKS
• UPDATE FROM AH&LA PRESIDENT/CEO CHIP ROGERS: PPP LOAN DATA RELEASED, AHLA ENDORSES THE TEST ACT, EMPLOYMENT RECOVERY DELAYS; LATEST AHLA UPDATES LINK
• NRA PRESIDENT/CEO TOM BENE ADDRESSES ROAD TO RECOVERY: VIDEO & LATEST NRA UPDATES LINKS
• U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT/CEO ROGER DOW LEADS WEBINARS ON RACE & RACISM AS IT RELATES TO THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY: WEBINARS AND LATEST USTA UPDATES LINKS
• HOSPITALITY TN  FREE LAW SYMPOSIUM VIRTUAL EVENT JULY 14 - 16, 2020
• QUESTIONS ON REOPENING CONTACT INFO

During his July 8, 2020 Press Briefing, Governor Bill Lee highlighted a number of issues, including:

• July 8th marked the single highest case count since COVID-19 pandemic began
   
• The total COVID-19 case count for Tennessee is now 55,986 as of July 8, 2020 including 685 deaths, 950,540 tested, 3,023 hospitalizations and 32,736 recovered.
   
• National issue of lab turnaround time and delays in getting testing results
   
• Strong encouragement to wear masks - Strengthen mask requirements for 89 of 95 counties – grants mayors ability to issue mandates
   
• $81 million coronavirus relief grants for K-12 education institutions to assist schools in reopening plans – so teachers and students can return safely.
   
• TN Department of Education Commissioner Schwinn and TN Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Piercey went to Washington D.C. to discuss further plans to reopen schools this fall
   
• Details on hospital bed capacity
   
• State Capitol Commission will meet on July 9 to vote on future of Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in state capitol – Governor Lee discussed possibility to move bust to the TN State Museum as part of an exhibit with historical context

1. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Data Released:  The Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Treasury released detailed loan-level data related to the 4.9 million loans provided under the PPP which was passed by Congress in the CARES Act in March of this year. The data is available here. 
 
According to the data released by the SBA, nearly 90,000 businesses participated in the PPP loan program and only 8.1% of funds available went to hotels, restaurants and food service industry. AHLA continues to press Congress to reallocate the remaining PPP funds into a new lending facility for the most severely impacted industries, including hospitality. 
 
2. AHLA Endorses the TEST Act: AHLA officially endorsed the Timely and Effective Systematic Testing (TEST) Act, which was introduced last week by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). The legislation is designed to create a modernized, focused approach to testing, making it easier and safer for Americans to begin traveling and staying in hotels again. AHLA believes that increased testing is a critical component to regaining consumer confidence and regaining lost demand due to COVID-19. 
 
3. Delays Expected for Employment Recovery: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its 10 year forecast report late last week which estimates the nation’s unemployment rate will remain high for the next decade and that our nation’s economy will continue to recover over the next decade. The CBO estimates that unemployment will remain above the pre-COVID levels through 2030, averaging 6.1 percent up from the pre-COVID estimates of 4.2 percent. The CBO forecast report does acknowledge the important role that the four economic stimulus and recovery packages Congress has passed to date to help mitigate the economic damage.  
 
We will continue to provide updates on topics related to economic recovery efforts as available.
 

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