NEWSRELEASE
For Release: April 24, 2008
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 08-12 ADVO
Chief Counsel Strongly Supports The “Independent Office of Advocacy and Small Business Regulatory Reform Act of 2008”
Adds Transparency And Responsiveness To Small Business Concerns
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chief Counsel for Advocacy Thomas M. Sullivan today announced his strong support for the recently introduced “Independent Office of Advocacy and Small Business Regulatory Reform Act of 2008.” U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) co-sponsored the bill.
“This legislation will add transparency to the Office of Advocacy budget and will bolster the responsiveness of government to small business concerns raised during the rulemaking process,” Sullivan said. He added, “I commend Senators Snowe and Pryor for introducing this bill. They are champions for small business in the Senate.”
The Act would give the Office of Advocacy a separate line item in the federal budget. Such a line item would guarantee the long-term independence of the Office of Advocacy as the voice for small business in government.
The Act would also codify and make permanent key elements of President Bush’s Executive Order 13272, “Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking.” Under the legislation, rulemaking agencies would have to directly address comments by Advocacy on proposed regulations. Since Advocacy’s comments are determined by interaction with affected small businesses, the legislation would ensure that agencies are more directly responsive to the views and concerns of small business.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy web site at
www.sba.gov/advo.The Office of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the federal 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.
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The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. The presidentially appointed Chief Counsel for Advocacy advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. For more information, visit
www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.