[Federal Register: July 1, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 127)]
[Notices]
[Page 37470]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01jy08-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
[CIS No. 2423-08; DHS Docket No. USCIS 2008-0031]
RIN 1615-ZA60
Small Business Non-Retaliation Policy
AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In support of the initiatives of the National Ombudsman of the
U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) announces adoption of a small business non-retaliation
policy. If a small business questions or lodges a complaint regarding a
USCIS policy or action or seeks help from others to deal with such a
policy or action, USCIS will not retaliate against that small business
in any fashion. The full policy is established by this notice.
DATES: The Acting Director of USCIS approved the small business non-
retaliation policy on June 24, 2008. The policy remains in effect until
modified or rescinded by the Acting Director.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments about this policy although USCIS is
not officially requesting public comments. To ensure that your comments
and related materials are not entered more than once in the docket,
please submit them by only one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Chief, Regulatory Management Division, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security,
111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Suite 3008, Washington, DC 20529. To
ensure proper handling, please reference DHS Docket No. USCIS-2008-0031
on your correspondence. This mailing address may also be used for
paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Regulatory Management Division,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland
Security, 111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Suite 3008, Washington, DC
20529. Contact Telephone Number (202) 272-8377.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Gooding, Customer Assistance
Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 111 Massachusetts
Ave., NW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20539; Phone: 1-800-357-2099
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Ombudsman of the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) has asked each Federal agency to adopt a
policy that the agency will not retaliate against small businesses that
question or complain about the way the agency does business. On June
24, 2008, the Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) approved the following statement of USCIS policy:
If a small business questions or complains about a U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services policy or action or seeks help from others to
deal with a USCIS policy or action, USCIS will not retaliate against
that small business in any way. If a small business thinks that USCIS
has not followed this policy, the agency will investigate, take
appropriate action, and ensure that mistakes are not repeated. Small
businesses may comment, ask questions, or file a complaint about USCIS
policies or actions by contacting the USCIS Customer Assistance Office,
local USCIS offices, or the Small Business Administration's Office of
the National Ombudsman at 1-888-REG-FAIR (734-3247), fax 202-481-5719;
e-mail ombudsman@sba.gov.
Small businesses generally are independently owned and operated and
are not dominant in their fields. If you need help determining whether
or not your business qualifies as a ``small business,'' contact the
SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman using the information as noted
above.
Dated: June 24, 2008.
Jonathan R. Scharfen,
Acting Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
[FR Doc. E8-14843 Filed 6-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-97-P