Illinois NFIB director: $3 million for small business technical support is small potatoes

(The Center Square) — Illinois’ small businesses waiting for federal aid will get state support in the form of $3 million allocated to bolster programs designed in helping navigate the ins-and-outs of COVID-19 relief programs.

The Pritzker administration allocated the funds to help expand community navigator outreach programs, small business development centers and technical assistance services, according to a news release from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Mark Grant, Illinois state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), says anything the state can do to assist small businesses in recovering from the worst economic crisis seen since, and even before, 2010 is a good thing.

“I think they’re trying to help the smallest of businesses who had the worst impact in terms of what’s happened, in terms of the pandemic and the shutdowns that have occurred,” Grant said.

The federal stimulus package was passed, and more federal aid is on the way, according to the state’s press release. Grant said they are very excited for these, but there are a lot of tax ramifications for businesses attendant to the federal aid. Grant said he thinks that area is where the state’s assistance may be of benefit.

In the grand scheme of things, however, $3 million is small potatoes, Grant said.

Grants adds that Illinois small businesses don’t have a lot of faith in their state’s current economic and political environment right now, and a token offering like this technical support is not enough to change that.

“They need to know that the administration here in Illinois cares more about them and their future than just this particular instance, than this $3 million for technical assistance, because that in effect is pretty small compared to…let’s just go back two weeks ago when the governor was trying to pass a decoupling bill in the wee hours of the night in the Legislature that would have cost small businesses anywhere from $500 million up to a billion dollars,” Grant said.

That doesn’t send a good message, Grant said.

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