Crist is sponsoring a measure to provide payroll grants as well as require hotels that use the grants to give laid-off employees recall rights. Labor union UNITE HERE represents more than 300,000 employees mostly in the hospitality industry.

The group’s President D. Taylor says while some people have started to travel again, the industry is still 70 percent underemployed when compared to pre-pandemic numbers.

“If you look at hotels particularly in urban areas, they rely so much on business and convention travelers and as Chip said that is not coming back anytime soon.”

The measure would also provide a tax credit to businesses of 50% of the cost associated with purchasing personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and purchasing of technology designed to reduce the impact of the pandemic.