Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers announced proposals Wednesday to provide more state-level support for Hoosier small businesses suffering from the COVID-19 crisis.
Myers’s plans were short on specifics.
The former state health commissioner says the federal government’s stimulus programs aimed at small businesses have fallen far short of the need. And that’s why he wants Indiana to create a state-run program to support those businesses.
“Especially the hard-hit businesses, many of them minority-owned, veteran-owned, woman-owned and disability-owned businesses," Myers says. "Because they need help with payroll – all of them – operational expenses, working capital.”
Myers, a health care executive, suggests creating a task force – made up of small business owners – to help set up the program and develop ways to ensure the money gets to those who need it most.
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The Indianapolis Democrat says the program would be paid for through some federal funding and state dollars – which he says the legislature should get to work on finding.
“To look deeply within the current revenues, current expenditures to identify new priorities, new targets,” Myers says.
Myers says the amount of funding would be a “big number” that’s likely to grow.
Contact Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.
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This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Indiana State Department of Health for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.
