NEWSRELEASE
For Release: June 14, 2004
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 04-17 ADVO
Kentucky Acts To Support Small Business
Gives Small Business A Voice In The State Regulatory Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kentucky small businesses will face a friendlier regulatory environment, thanks to new legislation signed into law by Governor Ernie Fletcher. The new law gives Kentucky’s small businesses a voice in the state’s regulatory process.
“Kentucky’s small business owners now have a seat at the table when regulatory decisions are made,” said Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “When their voice is heard, better decisions are made, and that means more jobs and growth for Kentucky. The state’s small business owners can be proud that they have friends like Governor Fletcher and the bill’s co-sponsors,
Representatives Roger Thomas and James Comer,” he said.The “Small Business Regulatory Fairness Initiative” implements elements of small business friendly regulatory legislation put forward as a model by the Office of Advocacy of the SBA. Similar to the federal Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), it encourages entrepreneurial success by requiring state agencies to consider their impact on small business before they issue final regulations.
Governor Fletcher said in regards to the “Small Business Regulatory Fairness Initiative,” “This bill recognizes the vital role that small business plays in growing jobs and opportunity within the state. We must work to create an environment that fosters small business growth. HB 609 will help us do just that.”
The model legislation, endorsed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is pending in 12 states. In the past year, small business regulatory flexibility has been implemented in six states including most recently Wisconsin and South Carolina.
Passage and signing of the “Small Business Regulatory Fairness Initiative” is a result of Kentucky small business stakeholders working together to promote small business. Bobby Clark, Chair of the Kentucky Commission on Small Business Advocacy and Tom Underwood, State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business led the coalition. Commerce Secretary W. James Host directed the Fletcher administration’s efforts in support of the legislation.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at
www.sba.gov/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.