NEWSRELEASE
For Release: July 30, 2008
Contact:
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 08-20 ADVO
Press Kit
Advocacy Commits To Long-Term r3 Initiative
Chief Counsel Testifies Before House Small Business Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Advocacy is committed to the long-term success of its Regulatory Review and Reform (r3) initiative, according to testimony today by Chief Counsel for Advocacy Thomas M. Sullivan. He testified at the House Small Business Committee, Subcommittee on Regulations, Health Care and Trade hearing on “Regulatory Burdens on Small Firms: What Rules Need Reforms?”
Sullivan said, “Small business creates most of the new jobs and drives innovation in our economy. Yet, the smallest businesses shoulder annual regulatory costs of $7,647 per employee, which is 45 percent greater than that of their larger-business counterparts. The r3 program is a way for federal agencies to listen to suggestions from Main Street small businesses on how to streamline and update regulatory requirements.”
In February after significant review and analysis, Advocacy announced the 2008 Top 10 Rules for Review and Reform. The Top 10 were drawn from over 80 rules nominated by small business owners and their representatives as part of the r3 initiative. In order to track agencies’ progress towards review and reform of these rules, every six months Advocacy will post their status on our website.
In July, Advocacy called for nominations of the 2009 rules for review and reform. Those nominations will form the basis for the 2009 Top 10. The process will continue each year, with small business nominated rules being selected as Top 10 rules for review and reform.
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.
For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Regulatory Review and Reform initiative webpage at
www.sba.gov/advo/r3/###
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.