Illinois Valley Times

Veteran Illinois State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) knows all too well the toll she feels Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) COVID-19 restrictions have taken on the state as a whole.

“For months, we have watched as widespread economic damage has been inflicted on local and state economies,” Rezin told Illinois Valley Times. “Employers throughout my district have reached out to my office, sharing their stories and voicing their concerns about the consequences this pandemic has had for their places of business."

Rezin isn’t surprised by the findings of a new TrackTheRecovery.org analysis that finds since the beginning of the year the state has lost more than a third of all of its small businesses. Overall the data compiled by Harvard and Brown universities, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, shows as of Nov. 16, 2020 the number of small businesses open dipped by some 35.4% compared to Jan. 2020. This is in addition to the industry also experiencing a revenue decline topping 39% since Jan. 2020.

"This pandemic and its effect on Illinois small businesses has been devastating,” Rezin said. “We need to ensure that we are providing our job creators and small businesses with the support and tools that they need to survive this difficult time."

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Illinois State Director, Mark Grant, points out that running a small business in Illinois was already quite the challenge even before the pandemic hit, given such factors as higher property taxes and workers’ compensation.

Rezin said she often wonders if the governor ever stops to think about how much his actions are impacting families and small businesses like restaurants that were already struggling to hold on.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican, you’re livid that the governor is doing this without offering any data for it,” Rezin said. “The truth is restaurants have done the best job of everyone in making sure their environments are clean, safe and socially distanced.”