[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 9, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5481-S5482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Save our Stages Act

  Madam President, now a final matter. The new Republican bill is 
silent on a whole host of crucial issues, including a number of items 
that affect small businesses.
  Over the State work period, I visited several independent music and 
theater venues that have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Live 
venues were some of the first to close, and they will be the last to 
open up. Many of them are already on the brink of collapse. There is 
the rent, the utilities, and an entire year without revenue.
  Live venues--by definition, people are close together, so they 
couldn't continue during COVID, and they have to wait until the very 
end. But they are so important to so many communities--urban, suburban, 
and rural.
  Unfortunately, according to one survey, 90 percent of independent 
venues will have to close permanently without Federal funding. What an 
incredible shame that would be. These are indie music venues, jazz 
clubs, symphony orchestra halls, comedy clubs, and even Broadway, which 
is made up of dozens of small theaters that employ thousands of 
workers, from the box office to the backstage. These independent venues 
provide 75 percent of all artists' income, and they drive economic 
activity within our communities at restaurants, hotels, stores, and 
other establishments.
  But what we risk if these venues close permanently isn't purely 
economic, although it is so important. I was in Albany and Syracuse 
yesterday. It is estimated that the arts are one of the top five 
employers in both of those cities. We can't afford to let this happen. 
Economically, we will lose thousands and thousands of jobs. Cities will 
lose city downtowns, and rural areas, as well, will lose their 
vitality.
  The risk, if these venues close permanently, is not just economic. 
They are the very fabric of our society, which has been stretched to 
the breaking point by this crisis. Once this is all over, we will need 
these venues and the passionate, inspiring, artistic work that they 
help make possible as we come together again and try to make sense of 
this incredibly difficult moment in our history.
  We have a bipartisan bill--Save Our Stages Act--that would create a 
new

[[Page S5482]]

$10-billion SBA program to provide Federal grants to live-venue 
operators so that when, God willing, these live stages can reopen 
safely, these venues can come back bigger and better than ever. Those 
grants would go for 6 months, giving the venues enough time and 
breathing room to recuperate, and, God willing, if there is a vaccine 
in 6 months, they will be able, God willing, to open again.
  One of the most difficult parts of this pandemic has been the effect 
on American society, arts, and culture. These are the things we live 
for: sports, comedy, theater, and music. When the day finally comes 
that the pandemic is behind us, we will want to celebrate once again 
with friends and family at these venues now in danger of closing.
  I hope we can come together in the future to pass the Save Our Stages 
Act and save this essential part of American culture.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip