The Office of Advocacy recently posted several new one-page explanations of Small Business Facts — detailed answers to questions about small business economics. One installment in the series deals with health insurance patterns in small firms, and explains three realities of the health insurance marketplace:
• Small firms are less likely than large firms to offer [...]
Entries from July 2012
What Is the Level of Availability and Coverage of Health Insurance in Small Firms?
July 31st, 2012 · 3 Comments
Tags: Research & Statistics
Advocacy Recommends that the IRS Eliminate the Use-It-or-Lose-It Rule for Health FSAs
July 27th, 2012 · 1 Comment
On July 24, the Office of Advocacy recommended that IRS eliminate the “use-it-or-lose-it rule” for health flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Advocacy’s letter pointed out that the rule negatively affects small business employers offering health FSAs, and recent changes to tax law make it no longer necessary.
The rules currently require funds remaining in a health FSA [...]
Tags: Regulatory Policy
Do You Know Which Banks Make Small Business Loans in Your State?
July 20th, 2012 · 1 Comment
The Office of Advocacy’s latest small business lending report is a valuable small business tool because it tells you who is making small business loans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and most of the territories. Since there are several ways to measure lending, it’s not quite accurate to say any one lender [...]
Tags: Research & Statistics · State and Regional
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . To Help Improve Regulations!
July 19th, 2012 · 3 Comments
In January 2011, the President directed all executive agencies to undertake an unprecedented governmentwide review of regulations on the books, in order to figure out what is working and what is not, and where appropriate, to streamline or eliminate ineffective, overly burdensome, and outdated rules. Over two dozen agencies responded with regulatory reform plans, listing [...]
Tags: Regulatory Policy
“Small Business Facts” Debut on Website
July 17th, 2012 · 1 Comment
Confused about terminology? Or the basic definitions used in small business statistics? The Office of Advocacy has launched a new series, “Small Business Facts,” to demystify key small business topics and explain terms that often cause confusion. These concise handouts will bring you up to speed on key information and issues.
Six Small Business Factsheets are [...]
Tags: Research & Statistics
High Tech Entrepreneurs Thriving in Gainesville, Florida
July 13th, 2012 · 1 Comment
It seems that you can’t go a day without hearing about the need for America to nurture its entrepreneurs. This mantra was quite abstract to me until I took a trip recently to Gainesville, Florida, home of the University of Florida (UF) and a host of impressive, innovative health, biotech and social media companies.
Gainesville?! That’s [...]
Tags: State and Regional
Advocacy Recommends NOAA Conduct Further Analysis on Turtle Excluder Devices
July 12th, 2012 · Comments Off
On June 28, the Office of Advocacy submitted comments to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on a proposed sea turtle conservation rule imposing new shrimp trawling requirements.
Here are several excerpts from the letter, addressed to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator. The full text is available on the Office of Advocacy’s website.
“The Office of Advocacy [...]
Tags: Regulatory Policy · State and Regional
A YouTube Chat with the Chief Counsel
July 5th, 2012 · 1 Comment
In case you don’t have the chance to have coffee in person with Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant, a Pittsburgh business nonprofit is offering a close approximation. In a pleasant 10-minute Youtube chat, Dr. Sargeant discusses a range of topics as part of the business interview series, “Coffee with. . .,” sponsored by Pittsburgh’s [...]
Tags: State and Regional
How Does Your Garden Grow?
July 3rd, 2012 · 1 Comment
Ah, summer—gardening time! Although since the dog tore up my first attempts at gardening a few years ago, I haven’t had the urge to get down in the dirt with a rototiller. But I do like locally grown fresh produce, and every year I purchase a season’s worth of weekly fresh vegetables from a local [...]
Tags: Research & Statistics
Regulatory Alert: Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
July 2nd, 2012 · 1 Comment
U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Requests Comments on Development of the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
The federal government is starting the process of developing a new Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. By committing to common goals, the U.S. government will more effectively and efficiently combat intellectual property infringement. In this request [...]
Tags: Regulatory Policy