Last week, the federal government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus Act (called the “CARES Act”), which has some helpful provisions for small businesses. New SBA Loan Program : Among other things, the CARES Act creates a program of federally guaranteed loans for small businesses, to provide funds for payroll and other expenses during the coronavirus crisis. The loans will be provided through the Small Business Administration, and will be made by local banks and other financial institutions. I know that Bank of America and Exchange Bank are making loans through the program; whoever your bank is, there is a good chance they will also be doing so. The only requirements to qualify for a loan are: (1) you must be a small business (fewer than 500 employees); (2) your business was in operation on 2/15/20; and (3) as of 2/15/20, you had employees for whom you paid salaries and payroll taxes, or you paid independent contractors for services. You will n...