ALBANY, N.Y. – Legislation that may offer some economic relief to local restaurants has passed the New York State Assembly, and is heading to the Senate.

Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon’s bill would allow the State Liquor Authority to provide restaurants and bars a credit toward the cost of renewing their liquor licenses. The credit amount would be based on how long the business was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced the state to enact unprecedented measures to protect the health of our communities. While necessary, these actions have unfortunately had huge economic impacts on local businesses, particularly restaurants and bars,” said Buttenschon. “I sponsored this legislation to provide expanded relief to these establishments in these trying times.”

According to a survey by the National Restaurant Association, state eateries lost billions of dollars in sales, and were forced to lay off more than 500,000 employees since the start of the pandemic.