The program, which would provide financial relief for restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality industry businesses in New Jersey, would allow small businesses and nonprofits within the hospitality industry to apply for no-interest loans of up to $10,000 per business per month. Loans would be provided only for immediate, non-avoidable, non-personnel costs such as rent and utilities. Each loan would have a 10-year term, with payments deferred for nine months.

“With demand plummeting and quarantines and curfews in place across New Jersey, thousands of Garden State restaurants, bars, hotels, and other hospitality-related small businesses are seeing tremendous damage to their bottom-lines, putting their businesses at-risk for bankruptcy, eviction, or foreclosure,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch). “It’s critical for our state to step in and make sure that these small businesses and mom-and-pop stores can stay afloat through these difficult times.”

Eligible businesses must have been in operation for at least a year and have annual revenue beneath $1.5 million. In order to prove eligibility, a business must provide documentation showing that it has been current for at least 80 percent of payments over the past 12 months and is not past due on its most recent payment on any bill for which it is applying for relief. This can be done through proof of payments or a letter from the entity to which the money was due.