The Small Business Watchdog

On January 25, a coalition of competitive telecommunications carriers filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting that the FCC propose new regulations governing the retirement of copper communications infrastructure owned by incumbent carriers. (The incumbents are the group of large telcos which resulted from the breakup of the Bell operating companies in [...]

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On Friday, January 25, Jordan Barab, the U.S. Department of Labor’s deputy assistant secretary for occupational safety and health, participated in the Office of Advocacy’s regular small business roundtable on labor safety and health issues. Mr. Barab focused his remarks on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) regulatory agenda for the coming year and [...]

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The Office of Advocacy applauds yesterday’s decision by the Internal Revenue Service to offer a simplified version of the home office deduction. Advocacy has been engaged with the small business community and the IRS on this issue for decades, including a formal request to the White House in 2009. The new option allows a deduction of [...]

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On December 28, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued proposed regulations that that provide guidance on large employers’ shared responsibility for employee health insurance coverage under Internal Revenue Code section 4980H.  The proposed regulations provide definitions and rules for determining status as an applicable large employer and applicable large employer member, for determining full-time employees, [...]

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In 2012, the Office of Advocacy provided input to numerous federal agencies on key regulatory proposals that have a disproportionate impact on small businesses. The Patent and Trademark Office’s overhaul of the U.S. patenting system is one of these critical areas. All comment letters and fact sheets summarizing them are available on Advocacy’s website.
The U.S. [...]

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In 2012, Advocacy commented on three key revisions of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA or Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA or Reg Z):
• The integrated mortgage disclosure statement (comments filed November 6)
• Mortgage servicing rules for ARMs (October 5), and
• Loan originator compensation (October 16).
 
Mortgage Disclosure Statements. This major [...]

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As 2012 winds down, the Office of Advocacy continues to build up an impressive number of achievements working with federal agencies and small business owners to bring transparency to the regulatory process. The synergy between our research and regulatory work continues to strengthen both areas; timely and actionable research is the foundation of efficient and [...]

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced its intent to withdraw a proposed rule that would have required the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) by commercial shrimping vessels in the southeast fisheries.  The rule would have affected an estimated 6,500 shrimp fishermen.  In its regulatory flexibility analysis of the proposed rule, NOAA [...]

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On November 7, the greater D.C. chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) presented a panel on trends in finance, policy, and regulatory requirements that affect women small business owners. Treliant Risk Advisors hosted the event, Regulatory Developments Affecting Women-Owned Businesses, and Advocacy Economist Christine Kymn [...]

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On November 6, the Office of Advocacy submitted comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the proposed rule on Integrated Mortgage Disclosures under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA” or Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA” or Regulation Z). The rule governs the practices and documents in use when consumers [...]

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