Requires Agencies To Produce Clear, Timely Regulatory Compliance Guides

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Small businesses will find it easier to comply with complex and confusing federal regulations, if a bill recently introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) becomes law.

The Small Business Compliance Assistance Enhancement Act of 2005 amends the 1996 Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA), a law that bolsters the Office of Advocacy’s ability to reduce regulatory barriers that can stifle entrepreneurial growth. It will place new emphasis on compliance guides that agencies are required to write, so that small businesses can better understand complex rules and regulations. It also requires agencies to report annually on their efforts to comply with this law.

“Senator Snowe’s bill helps ensure that federal agencies issue compliance guides that are helpful for the small business community,” said Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “The bill recognizes that small businesses often need compliance help before new rules go into effect.”

The bill implements one part of the Office of Advocacy’s four-point legislative agenda for the 109th Congress. The legislative agenda is designed to give small businesses a greater voice in the regulatory process by using a targeted approach to provide relief. To implement the remaining three points of the agenda, Advocacy believes that Congress should amend the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) so that:

• Federal agencies are required to review all 10-year old regulations for their current impact on small business. This would encourage agencies to update their rules, ensuring that regulatory protections reflect current conditions.
  
  
• Executive Order 13272 is codified into law. This will ensure that independent agencies comply with the RFA and that all federal agencies consider Advocacy’s comments on behalf of small business when they issue final rules.
  
  
• When federal regulations must be implemented by the states, agencies will analyze the impact of those rules on small entities. Moreover, they should provide states with regulatory alternatives that will enable them to meet federal requirements while minimizing their impact on small entities.

The Office of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues. For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.

Credit: http://www.sba.gov/advo/press/05-16.html

NewsFor Release: April 13, 2005
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 05-16 ADVO

Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help identify issues of concern. Regional Advocates and an office in Washington, DC, support the Chief Counsel’s efforts. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.

Related Information:

NBA Strategic Partner - U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

NBA Resource Article - SBA Small Business Week 2005

NBA Resource Article - Snowe Outlines Small Business Agenda for 109th Congress