'Family Fun Act' Would Offer Relief To Amusement Parks: LI Reps

FARMINGDALE, NY — The "Family Fun Act" was introduced by U.S. congressmen Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) on Wednesday, according to a release from Garbarino's Office.

The bill would expand eligibility for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Shutter Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program to include amusement parks and other community businesses. The news conference was held at Adventureland in Farmingdale.

"The amusement park industry, a key driver of travel and tourism on Long Island, has been deeply impacted by the pandemic," Garbarino, a member of the House Committee on Small Business, told reporters. "However, it is an industry that has been largely neglected by pandemic relief funding. Small businesses should not be denied vital funding due to a technicality."

The bill would open the door to grant funding for amusement parks, arcades, concession stands, bowling alleys, and other businesses that Garbarino said have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic but have yet to receive relief.

The "Family Fun Act" was referred to the House Committee on Small Business for consideration.

"Operators of rides at carnivals and amusement parks were crushed by COVID," Suozzi said. "Many of these folks were left out of the American Rescue Plan. It’s time to right that wrong and expand the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant to include operators at carnivals and amusement parks."

The SVOG program includes more than $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues to be administered by the SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance. Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45 percent of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.

The grant's list of eligible applicants includes live venue operators; theatrical producers; live performing arts; museums, zoos and aquariums that meet specific criteria; movie theaters; talent representatives; and other business entities.

The attractions industry's wages fell by $1.1 billion in the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year compared to the second quarter of 2019 due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Peak employment fell by more than 125,000 jobs this past summer. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) estimates the effects of the pandemic will have cost $23 billion in economic losses in 2020 alone. This is roughly a 45 percent average loss in earned income, according to Garbarino's Office.

Garbarino sent a bipartisan letter to the SBA in mid-April urging amusement parks across the nation to receive access to the grant program.

Steven Gentile, owner of Adventureland, said he was pleased to host Garbarino and Suozzi.

"We are grateful and hopeful that their tireless efforts to include our industry in the SVOG will be the lifeline businesses like ours so desperately need," Gentile stated.

Garbarino and Suozzi were joined by representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), and Ed Case (D-HI).