Baking Good Legislation
On August 27, Governor Pritzker signed into law the Home-to-Market Act. The Home-to-Market Act allows producers of home-based food products to sell their goods directly to customers. This new law goes into effect on January 1, 2022. This will foster the growth of home-based entrepreneurs, known as the cottage food businesses.
Prior to the passage of the Home-to-Market Act, cottage food producers were only allowed to sell their products at farmer's markets. They were prohibited from selling at fairs or festivals, and online. Compared to other states, Illinois has one of the most restrictive regulations governing the cottage food industry. This new act will open the door for a vast increase in sales and provide cottage producers the opportunity to start or grow their businesses. The Home-to-Market Act comes at the perfect time as many of these home-based food businesses and farms were hit hard by the pandemic. During the pandemic, many farmer's markets delayed their openings, leaving cottage food producers unable to sell their products. The new bill will especially benefit women-owned businesses, as 77% of cottage food businesses are owned by women.
The SBAC is a strong advocate for home-based businesses. Check out our most recent win regarding HBBs.
Property Tax Reform
Citizens Empowerment Act The state of Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the US. Property taxes are a huge burden on Illinois residents and small businesses, and often drive people out of the state. Illinois also has 6,918 local units of government, according to the latest Census Bureau data, which is more than…
Make Minority Contracting Reforms Now
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the small business community. With businesses struggling, government contracts are even more important to many small businesses, including minority owned businesses with limited cash reserves and access to capital. The failure of governmental entities at all levels to ensure that minority businesses receive a fair share…
Urge Politicians to Make PPP Loans Deductible
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