
Small Business Law
Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) -The
Regulatory Flexibility Act requires federal agencies to review
regulations for their impact on small businesses and consider less burdensome
alternatives.
·
Model Legislation for the
States - Regulatory Flexibility Initiative
Law
Journal Articles
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness =
Act
(SBREFA) - The Small Business Regulatory
Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 provides new avenues for small businesses =
to
participate in and have access to the federal regulatory arena.<=
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Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
- The
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act provides that each bill must be analyzed for its
impact on local government and other entities before it can be voted on. In
this way, its impact is known to the legislators before they impose it.
Paperwork Reduction Act 0f 1980-The
Paperwork Reduction Act requires all proposed regulations to be analyzed for
the paperwork that they require and that paperwork be reduced to a minimum.
A
regulation which creates a new paperwork requirement must be cleared by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002
-
This
law institutes a process to make paperwork reduction a serious, ongoing effort
and introduces measures to make it easier for small businesses to comply with
the law. The law:
- requires the Office of
Management and Budget to publish an annual list of compliance assistance
resources available to small businesses in the Federal Register and onthe
Internet;
- requires each federal
agency to establish one point of contact to act as a liaison for small
businesses and to make efforts to further reduce paperwork requirements
for businesses with fewer than 25 employees;
- establishes an interagency
taskforce to recommend improvements in information collection and
dissemination; and
- requires
agencies to report on their enforcement actions against small businesses
and penalty reductions in such actions to Congress and the Small Business
and Agricultural Regulatory Ombudsman so that they can monitor the
regulatory burden reduction efforts of the Agencies.
Small
Business Paperwork Relief Task Force
Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. Chapter 14A)
- Title
13--Business Credit and Assistance
Executive Orders
Executive
Order 12866 - provides guidelines for a
detailed analysis of regulations that will have over $100 million impact and
other types of significant regulations. Agencies are required to analyze the
impact of regulations, and propose alternatives in a report that is reviewed by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Executive Order13272
- requires federal agencies to better asses the impact that their proposed
regulations will have on small entities. The requirements of the
executive order are designed to strengthen the current requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and to allow Advocacy to participate as early
as possible in the rulemaking process when small business impact is at issue.
MOU with the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- the objective of the MOU is
to assist OSHA in its efforts to reach small business as it develops new
industry specific ergonomic guidelines. Industry- and task-specific guidelines
are a key component of OSHA's program of addressing
ergonomics in the workplace with outreach and education.
MOU with
the
Office of the National Ombudsman - the objectives are to establish an
information sharing process to ensure that small business complaints, comments
or concerns are handled by the appropriate office and to establish guidancefor
dissemination of information to small businesses and Federal agencies
explaining the statutory responsibilities of both offices.
MOU with the
Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
- the objectives of the MOU are
to
establish an information sharing process between Advocacy and OIRA when a draft
rulemaking is likely to impact small entities; to establish Advocacy guidance
for Federal agencies on the requirements of the RFA; and to establish training
for Federal agencies on compliance with the RFA.
General Accounting Office (GAO) Reports
-
September 2000-
Regulatory Flexibility Act: Implementation in EPA Programs Office
and Proposed Lead Rule
-
April 1999 -
Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies' Interpretation of Review
Requirements Vary
-
March 1998 -
Implementation of the SBREFA Panel Requirements
-
February 1998 -
Regulatory Reform: Agencies' Section 610 Review Notices Often Did
Not Meet Statutory Requirements
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