GNO, INC Update – 5/4/2020

Regional Stakeholders,

During a crisis, timely, accurate, and actionable information is important.  In order to help you get this information, GNO, Inc. is sending out regular updates.  Please see below, and feel free to forward.

May 4, 2020 Update

News

• Open Safely Website – The Open Safely website allows you to register your business, so you can receive updated communication, notifications, and guidance via email from the State Fire Marshal’s Office specific to your business type.  These notifications will answer important questions including when you can open your business, the steps to open your business, and sanitation requirements for your business.
• Louisiana Legislature Reconvenes – State lawmakers returned to Baton Rouge as the 2020 Regular Legislative session resumed today.  House lawmakers heard updates on the state’s economy from the Division of Administration.  Among the COVID-19 related legislation to be discussed this week are measures that protect businesses that operate in good faith from lawsuits and liability claims from employees, customers or others who contract the virus.  The proposed measures include exemptions for “gross negligence.”  These bills will begin to be heard tomorrow afternoon in the Senate.  Committee meetings can be viewed live on the Legislature’s website legis.la.gov.
• Paycheck Protection Program Updates – New FAQs on the Paycheck Protection Program address aspects of the program’s forgiveness provision.  According to the FAQs, if an employer tries to rehire an employee who was laid off, and that employee refuses the offer to return to work, then employer’s loan forgiveness will not be reduced because of their inability to rehire that employee.  A rule on this provision is forthcoming and will require the borrower to document the rehiring offer and the rejection by the former employee.

The Small Business Administration has released updated data on loans administered nationally.  The latest report shows Louisiana had more than 33,000 loans approved in the second round totaling nearly $2.2 billion. Overall nationally, the average loan size is $79,000.

Information

• Emergency Response Program for Musicians – Greater New Orleans, Inc, in partnership with gener8tor, announced a new initiative supporting New Orleans musicians affected by coronavirus.  Under the New Orleans Emergency Response Program musicians will have access to a free, three-day webinar series, featuring professional advice and resources.  Musicians can sign up here.
• “Getting Back to Work, in the New Normal:  Best Practices for Business Reopening” – Last week, GNO, Inc. released a plan for restarting the Greater New Orleans economy, and reopening businesses with a responsible and safety-first approach.  The plan provides robust industry-specific recommendations and a framework to safely restart the region’s economy, as well as opportunities for the future.  This plan was developed in partnership with many stakeholders, ranging from regional companies, to industry associations, to national consultancies, to global country examples. You can read the full plan here.

Resources

Are you looking for:

• Online Training? – A catalogue of opportunities for online training from the region’s higher education partners and private training providers can be found here.
• Work? – If you want a job in a sector that is surging right now, new openings are on WorkNOLA.com.
• Employees?
• A database of local talent looking for new job opportunities, including quick employment history and skills summary, is on the WorkNOLA Workforce Directory.
• GNOmatch provides custom connections between companies with lay-offs, and those hiring for transferable skills.
• COVID-19 Customers/Purchasers? – If you have pivoted your business to make a new, coronavirus-related product, register onGNOpivot.
• COVID-19 Supplies/Services? – If you are looking for PPE, sanitizer, food providers, and other related products and services, search the GNOpivot Resource Tool.

As always, general information is on the GNO, Inc. Coronavirus Business Resource Page.

Please feel free to contact me [email protected] or VP Policy Ileana Ledet at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions.

Take care,

Michael

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