A couple of industries hard-hit by the pandemic will get some extra assistance in the new state budget approved by lawmakers over the weekend.
The spending plan includes $75 million in new funding for Illinois hotels and motels, to assist them with rehiring and retaining staff as business begins to rebound following the pandemic-related slowdown in lodging. And the Illinois Arts Alliance says lawmakers allocated $50 million to help entertainment venues that dealt with cancelled events or much smaller crowds for the past two years.
The arts group says the money is less than what it was hoping for, but says it will still be an essential lifeline to many performing arts facilities.
