NATO applauds the passage of the American Rescue Plan by Congress and looks forward to its rapid signature into law by the President. The Plan extends critical unemployment benefits to our furloughed workers, and preserves and expands important tax relief programs that give a much needed lifeline to movie theater companies of all sizes affected by the pandemic. In particular, we are grateful for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s efforts to provide additional funding for the Shuttered Venue Operator Grants program and open the Paycheck Protection Program to theater operators in urgent need of capital assistance. We extend our gratitude to the program’s champions Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Cornyn for their tireless efforts on behalf of cinemas. We urge the Small Business Administration to move quickly to get Shuttered Venue Operators grants to the many businesses which so desperately need them.

About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 35,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 33,000 additional screens in 100 countries worldwide.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a second office in Los Angeles, California, NATO represents its members in the heart of the nation’s capital as well as the center of the entertainment industry. From these vantage points, NATO helps exhibition influence federal policy-making and work with movie distributors on all areas of mutual concern, from new technologies to legislation, marketing, and First Amendment issues. www.natoonline.org