News by SB Informer

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Hearing Set for Small Business Owners to Comment About Excessive Federal Regulatory Enforcement

SB Informer
Friday, September 1, 2006; 02:49 AM

Small business owners, community leaders and representatives of trade associations concerned about excessive enforcement of federal rules can voice their complaints at a U.S. Small Business Administration Regulatory Fairness Board Hearing in Sacramento on September 29, 2006, from 1:30 to 4:00 PM.

The hearing will be held at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, Room 101, Sacramento, California.

SBA National Ombudsman Nicholas Owens, members of SBA's Region 9 Regulatory Fairness Board, and representatives of federal regulatory agencies will hear comments and complaints about regulatory enforcement and compliance.

"One of the biggest concerns small business owners face is unfair enforcement of federal regulations. They also worry about telling their stories because they fear retaliation by federal agencies," Owens said. "Small business owners want to play by the rules and comply with federal regulations," he added, "and we want to encourage federal regulators to assist business owners with compliance rather than go straight to the penalty stage."

This forum offers small business owners a chance to express their concerns about federal compliance practices in SBA's Sacramento District area.

Comments and complaints presented during the hearing will be directed to the appropriate federal regulatory agency. This information will also be shared with federal officials in the Ombudsman's annual report to Congress, and with managers of federal regulatory agencies to assist them with their enforcement actions.

The National Ombudsman's authority to respond to comments on compliance issues is limited to federal regulatory enforcement matters and does not include concerns about obtaining federal contracts, regulations in general, or securing guaranteed loans.

The Sacramento hearing is open to the public. Those wishing to testify should contact Mary Conway-Jepsen at (916) 930-3712, or by email at mary.conway-jepsen@sba.gov before the hearing. Should a small business owner or representative be unable to attend, written testimony may be sent in advance of the hearing to be included in the public record.

Comments and concerns about federal enforcement actions can be addressed directly to SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman at 1-888-734-3247 (REGFAIR). For more information about the national ombudsman and this hearing, you may visit the National Ombudsman's Web site at http://www.sba.gov/ombudsman.

For information on SBA's programs and services in Sacramento, CA, call the Sacramento District Office at (916) 930-3700. You may also visit the Sacramento District Office Web site at http://www.sba.gov.

The SBA helps small businesses each year with access to capital and credit through its financial assistance program, as well as providing technical training and business start up and expansion counseling, disaster loans for businesses and homeowners, and federal contracting and procurement assistance. For more information about the SBA go to http://www.sba.gov or call the SBA's Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA, or TDD 704-344-6640 for the hearing impaired.