Maine Governor Janet Mills and the State Legislature spearheaded a package of emergency measures to respond to COVID-19 today. One emergency bill grants Governor Mills access to at least $11 million in State funding to respond to COVID-19, while another omnibus emergency bill expands authorities of State and local officials to allow them greater flexibility to respond to the virus and to provide support to Maine workers impacted by the virus. The bills were enacted by the Legislature and Governor Mills will sign them tomorrow.

These measures include:

• Establishing a consumer loan guarantee program through FAME, in partnership with financial institutions, to provide low- or no- interest loans for eligible people in Maine;
• Temporarily expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits for workers impacted by COVID-19;
• Increasing the Department of Education’s ability to waive certain school-day requirements and to continue school lunch programs for all eligible children;
• Authorizing Governor Mills to adjust state, county and municipal government deadlines and to permit all public entities to meet by remote participation;
• Expanding the ability of Maine Emergency Medical Services’ Board and staff to take actions more promptly;
• Authorizing Governor Mills to prohibit utilities from terminating residential electric and water service;
• Authorizing Governor Mills to determine and direct the manner of the June 2020 primary, if necessary;  
• Delaying the effective date of the single-use plastic bag ban to January 15, 2021.

“These emergency measures will support the State’s response to the coronavirus and mitigate its spread in Maine,” said Governor Mills.“Protecting the health and well-being of Maine people is a responsibility at the core of State government, and I am grateful to lawmakers for uniting in support of these measures so we can implement them swiftly.”

“From the moment we walked through the State House doors this morning, our number one priority was to make sure Mainers were taken care of during this public health crisis. We’ve heard from hardworking families worried about how they will make ends meet while their employer is temporarily closed. We’ve heard from small business owners, who are worried that their business will shutter for good if the crowds continue to stay home. Mainers are counting on us to have their back. With this COVID-19 package, we can make sure resources are available when Mainers need them most,” said Senate President Troy Jackson. “There’s no doubt that this pandemic has sent shockwaves throughout the state, but at the same time, Maine people, organizations, businesses and state agencies have all stepped up to support one another. This is not only how we are going to get through this crisis as a state, but what being a Mainer is all about.”

“We have made it a priority for state government to respond swiftly to aid those most in need and have acted to provide support that will be available as soon as possible,” said Senate Republican Leader Dana Dow. 

“Today we came together to protect the health and financial security of Maine's working families and to address the immediate concerns we are facing,” said House Speaker Sara Gideon. “There is much we still don’t know about the days and weeks ahead, but what I do know is that we are all in this together and we are resilient. Across Maine government, this response effort will continue as we work to put in place effective, evidence-based measures to ensure the safety of Maine families, communities and our economy.” 

“We are hopeful these measures will support a statewide response to the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said House Republican Leader Kathleen Dillingham. “As Mainers, we will get through these unprecedented times by supporting each other.”

These measures come in addition to a bipartisan agreement on a revised supplemental budget proposal that protects the health and well-being of Maine people as the State responds to COVID-19. The Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee unanimously approved the proposal yesterday and the Legislature passed it today.

The Legislature also voted on several other time-sensitive and health-related legislation before adjourning sine die.

Governor Mills has said she intends to call the Legislature back for a Special Session as soon as is safe and prudent and that it is her strong preference that during such a session priority attention be given to only the most pressing matters. 
 

NH Receives Statewide Declaration Opening Disaster Assistance Application Process for all Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to the entire state of New Hampshire for small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Disaster loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue.

Small businesses, private non-profit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives and small aquaculture enterprises that have been financially impacted as a direct result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) since Jan. 31, 2020, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred. Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. 
Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is based on the financial impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses. The interest rate for private non-profit organizations is 2.75 percent. SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years and are available to entities without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship. You risk nothing by applying and are not obligated to take the loan if approved, but in the instance that you do need these funds applying could be the difference between keeping your small business afloat or closing the doors.

Apply for a EIDL Loan

The SBA encourages every business or nonprofit affected to apply online (visit here to confirm eligibility). Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email  for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. The deadline to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is Dec. 17, 2020.

Note:   Once you register and start the online application process, you will be prompted to select your business type and then select the loan type that you are applying for.   Please be sure to select the right business type because there are 2 different loan applications AND you must select ‘Economic Injury (EIDL)’ to be able to select the Coronavirus Disaster Declaration.

Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu issued Emergency Orders 6, 7, and 8, as part of the state's efforts to respond to COVID-19.

• Emergency Order #6  : Temporary authorization for take-out or delivery beer or wine. All restaurants, diners, bars, saloons, private clubs or any other establishment that have both a restaurant license and on premise license from the New Hampshire liquor commission shall be temporarily authorized to allow for takeout or delivery of beer or wine.
  "We appreciate the sacrifices many have made throughout COVID-19 developments," said Governor Chris Sununu. "This emergency order will allow for patrons to also order beer and wine from their favorite restaurants when ordering pickup or delivery.
• Emergency Order #7  : Temporary modification of data and privacy governance plans.
  "This order will give school districts greater flexibility when developing remote learning software tools," said Governor Chris Sununu. "Student privacy is paramount, and all applications and software still must meet rigorous Department of Education privacy standards."
• Emergency Order #8  : Temporary expansion of access to Telehealth Services to protect the public and health care providers.
  "Ensuring Granite Staters can receive quality health care without having to increase their exposure to COVID-19 is important," said Governor Chris Sununu. "This order will ensure health care practices can continue."

Important information about Kennebunk Savings’ lobby hours starting on March 18, 2020

Branch hours For Chambers 3_17_20 FINAL.pdf

After reviewing the latest guidelines about social distancing from the CDC, we feel it is in the best interest of our customers and employees to close all our branch lobbies to the public starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020 until further notice. We are doing this out of an abundance of caution and as a way to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Our Drive Up Banking, ATMs and night depositories will remain open at the branches. The following services will be available at our branches by appointment only: access to safe deposit boxes, debit card issuance, and change orders for business customers.  If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call Customer Care at 1-800-339-6573.

 

Due to the rapidly changing circumstances of the pandemic, we may need to alter our branch hours based on employee and customer safety and staffing. For your reference, we will keep this list of branch hours updated daily on our website. 

Concord, NH – Today, Governor Chris Sununu issued Emergency Orders 3, 4, and 5, which will provide relief for Granite Staters affected by COVID-19.

"Tough decisions have been made at the state level, but we will get through this together," said Governor Chris Sununu. "Seeing what the lack of an appropriate response has resulted in around the world requires that we make some difficult decisions here in New Hampshire to ensure we stem the tide of this worldwide pandemic within our own communities. We are taking steps to help Granite Staters, ensuring they have the support and services for themselves, their families, and their businesses throughout this crisis."

• Emergency Order #3:  All providers of electric, gas, water, telephone, cable, VOIP, internet service, and deliverable fuel services will be prohibited from disconnecting or discontinuing service for non-payments for the duration of the State of Emergency.
• Emergency Order #4:  Landlords will not be allowed to start eviction proceedings for those unable to pay due to their financial situations. To do so would be against the law. All judicial and non-judicial foreclosure actions will also be prohibited during the state of emergency.
• Emergency Order #5:  Individuals who are unable to work or who have reduced hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic will have immediate access to unemployment benefits. Anyone in the following situations will now be eligible for state unemployment: If your employer temporarily closes due to COVID-19; Individuals that need to self-quarantine or are directed to quarantine at the instruction of a health care provider, employer or government official; Individuals that need to care for a family member that has COVID-19 or is under quarantine; Individuals that need to care for a dependent because of school closures, child care facility closures or other similar types of care programs; Self-employed individuals that are temporarily unable to operate their business because of any of the above listed situations will also be eligible.

Individuals will need to file for each week of temporary unemployment and all of this can and should be done online at www.nhes.nh.gov, or by calling . People can do all of this online from your home internet connection or your phone without ever having to go into a state office. The website to access is www.nhes.nh.gov and the phone number to call is 603-271-7700.

Governor Chris Sununu also officially submitted a request that the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration provide SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans to small businesses across New Hampshire  .

 Portable Document Format (.pdf). Visit nh.gov for a list of free .pdf readers for a variety of operating systems.

Eversource has been monitoring COVID-19 closely and is working proactively to address the concerns of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve with one overarching goal:  to ensure we continue to provide the safe, reliable and essential service that customers need during this unprecedented time.

 

We recognize that many customers will be facing challenges in the days and weeks ahead, so we have taken the following steps:

• To decrease any financial hardship our customers are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have postponed disconnections for nonpayment for residential and business customers across our electric, natural gas, and water operations. Our customer service team is available to help customers with financial programs we offer, such as setting up a payment plan.
• We have online and mobile tools to help customers conduct business with us as usual, including customer service agents to speak with by phone. Our mobile app, available in the App Store and Google Play, allows customers to easily check their account, pay their bill and more at their convenience.
• The COVID-19 outbreak has led to an increase in scam activity. We have posted information on our website, eversource.com, reminding customers to be wary of any unsolicited calls that threaten to disconnect their utility service and that demand payment by unusual means. Eversource will never ask a customer for personal information over the phone in this manner and does not accept payments via gift cards or other common tools used by scammers. Also, customers should be aware that – as previously mentioned – we have suspended disconnections for nonpayment across our utility operations.
• Please visit our website, eversource.com, for the latest COVID-19 customer information.  New Hampshire customers are also encouraged to call 800-662-7764 to speak with a customer service representative.

 

Adjustments to Our Operations

We develop and update our business continuity and pandemic plans on an annual basis and are currently operating under our emergency pandemic plan. Among other things, this allows us to focus our resources where they are needed most -- ensuring the smooth and stable operation of our electric (natural gas and water) operations. We are:

• Curtailing any nonessential planned electric outage work.
• Continuing to plan for brief and targeted electric outages only when they are required to perform critical work to ensure reliability.
• Curtailing non-critical field work in our gas operations that requires access to homes or businesses.
• Making sure all our field resources and support staff continue to be at the ready in the event of a storm or other disruption not related to COVID-19.

PRESS OFFICE Release Date: March 12, 2020 Contact: Cheryl.croto@sba.gov (603)225-1407 Release Number: 20-18 Follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & Instagram

SBA To Provide Small Businesses Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19) Up to $2 Million in Disaster Assistance Loans

NEW HAMPSHIRE – SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement today in response to the President’s address to the nation:

“The President took bold, decisive action to make our 30 million small businesses more resilient to Coronavirus-related economic disruptions. Small businesses are vital economic engines in every community and state, and they have helped make our economy the strongest in the world. Our Agency will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest disaster recovery loans to small businesses that have been severely impacted by the situation. Additionally, the SBA continues to assist small businesses with counseling and navigating their own preparedness plans through our network of 68 District Offices and numerous Resource Partners located around the country. The SBA will continue to provide every small business with the most effective and customer-focused response possible during these times of uncertainty.”

Process for Accessing SBA’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Disaster Relief Lending

· The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Upon a request received from a state’s or territory’s Governor, SBA will issue under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration.

· Any such Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance declaration issued by the SBA makes loans available to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations in designated areas of a state or territory to help alleviate economic injury caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

· SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance will coordinate with the state’s or territory’s Governor to submit the request for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance.

· Once a declaration is made for designated areas within a state, the information on the application process for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance will be made available to all affected communities.

· SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance and can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.

· These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere; businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.

· SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.

· SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are just one piece of the expanded focus of the federal government’s coordinated response, and the SBA is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible.

· New Hampshire businesses who are feeling the disruption are free to contact the Office of Emergency Management’s Joint Information Center by phone at 603-223-6169, or by email at jic@dos.nh.gov.”

For additional information, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center. Call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

The Falls Chamber of Commerce takes the health and safety of our members and staff seriously. 

We are monitoring the evolving Coronavirus situation. Until government or public health officials deem it imprudent, the Chamber will proceed with its scheduled events calendar. We will continue to evaluate the situation and adapt our cancellation policies as necessary. We will communicate any changes, postponements, or cancellations of Chamber and Chamber member events immediately through social media, on our website, and, if appropriate, directly with registered attendees. 

At these gatherings, it is acceptable to veer from typical professional courtesies such as shaking hands or talking in close proximity.

For your reference, here are links to two coronavirus-related tip sheets from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: 
COVID-19 Workplace Tips for Employees and Guidance for Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus.
Both documents contain links to additional fact sheets from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.

The CDC has also created an Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers web page, based on what is currently known about the coronavirus disease.
 
Locally, the Strafford County Public Health Network is an excellent source of information on public health emergency preparedness.