As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rattle our institutions and force us all to reimagine how we live our lives and organize our economy, Arizona’s best and brightest are just getting started.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Foundation last week officially launched the Arizona Junior Fellows program. Comprising three inaugural Fellows, the program aims to provide hard-working, ambitious Arizona students with opportunities in the business, research, and public policy sectors.

The Fellows conduct research and analysis, publishing their findings in , also a project of the .

Further, the Fellows have been tasked with managing a brand new video/podcast named The Arizona Statesman. Aimed at informing Arizona executives, job creators, and workers about issues facing voters, the Fellows will host leaders in the private and public sectors to provide a much-needed perspective.

Stephen Matter, sophomore at Arizona State University, said that the program allows him “to meet and develop relationships with some of our state’s leading economists and industry specialists in order to help produce content and research which will inform Arizona voters.�

The inaugural class also includes Diego Píña and Taylor Hersch, both attending Arizona State.

You can view Business Ballot .

For more information about the Fellowship, visit this .

The Arizona Statesman, published weekly, will be available .

Joe Pitts is the Program Director for the Arizona Junior Fellows program and a student at Arizona State University’s Barrett, the Honors College.

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May 20, 2020
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:

The undersigned chambers of commerce urge Congress to pass timely, temporary and targeted liability relief legislation to provide businesses a safe harbor from unwarranted lawsuits that, left unchecked, will endanger the fight against the pandemic and undermine the safe and orderly return to work for millions of Americans.

From distillers who switched to producing hand sanitizers, to manufacturers that transformed their operations to construct personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, to front line medical professionals treating the afflicted, to pharmaceutical companies that are expediting research into cures, American businesses have rallied to fight the pandemic. During the stay-at-home orders, essential businesses have remained open and innovated in ways that permitted them to continue to provide critical services and supplies. Now millions of other businesses are in the process of reopening, desiring to do so in a safe manner that protects their employees and customers.

This is an unprecedented situation and despite employers’ best efforts to comply with public health guidance, many are concerned that they will be forced to defend themselves against a wave of lawsuits. Their concern is driven by the fact that each day brings news of more lawsuits that have already been filed. That is why Congress should provide a safe harbor that holds truly bad actors accountable, but that protects those employers who are working to follow public health guidance. Specifically, temporary protections should remain in place for the duration of the pandemic crisis and response that cover:

• Businesses that work to follow government guidelines against COVID-19 exposure claims.
• Healthcare providers and facilities on the front lines of the COVID-19 response.
• Manufacturers that repurposed production and distribution to provide PPE, sanitizers, and other needed countermeasures.
• Companies that have donated their stock of supplies to hospitals and medical professionals.
• Public companies that could face securities lawsuits, including those driven largely on stock price drops resulting from the global pandemic under the spurious assertion that management failed to warn investors.

To ensure that we continue to wage war against the pandemic while also safely returning Americans to work, Congress must act without delay.

Sincerely,

Business Council of Alabama
Alaska Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­
Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce and Industry
Arkansas State Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce/AIA
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As Gov. Doug Ducey continues to deliver new guidance for the reopening of the Arizona economy and as Arizona prepares to return stronger, new data from the Small Business Administration indicates the state’s small businesses are accessing an important economic lifeline.

According to the SBA, nearly 44,000 Arizona small businesses have been approved for $3.7 billion in loans in the latest round of the Paycheck Protection Program, placing the state within the top 15 for both number of businesses and funds approved.

Combined with the first round of funding, that means more than 63,000 small businesses in Arizona have been approved for over $8.5 billion in PPP loans.

PPP funds are designed to help businesses keep employees on the payroll, to make rent payments and pay utilities. Most loans are forgivable, meaning the program acts more like a grant than a loan.

If your business has not yet been approved or if you have not yet applied, it is estimated that $135 billion in funds still remain, so qualified businesses are urged to apply as soon as possible.

The Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce & Industry is here to help. We have joined forces with the Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) to launch the CARES Act Readiness Program for Small Businesses, a free online training to help small businesses access the capital they need. We’re also proud to count the SBA Arizona District Office and Arizona Commerce Authority as partners.

And better yet, the training program is completely free, and is designed to help both novice and experienced borrowers successfully access relief funds. The overall goal of the program is to increase access to relief funds throughout Arizona by providing the training in both English and Spanish.

In this same vein of access, a partnership was formed with Acronis #CyberFit Financing and Lendio to help those small businesses with limited lending options. Lendio is a free online marketplace that streamlines the SBA application process for eligible small businesses to access relief funds and provides other lending options through its network of over 75 lenders offering multiple loan products for small businesses.

Options like Lendio have proved essential to small businesses participating in the CARES Act Readiness Program, especially those from underbanked communities in Arizona.

Participants are already reporting positive results through our program, and we’re looking forward to many more Arizona small businesses getting the information and training they need not only to keep their doors open, but to continue to thrive.

More information is available at, or in Spanish at. To partner with us to amplify this program in your network, please contact Laura Ciscomani at lciscomani@azchamber.com.

Laura Ciscomani is the Director of Development for the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce & Industry

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