Requiring Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman to Create A Centralized Website for Compliance Guides
Floor Speech
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Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2142) to amend the Small Business Act to require the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman to create a centralized website for compliance guides, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2142
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. CENTRALIZED WEBSITE FOR COMPLIANCE GUIDES.
Section 30 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(e) Centralized Website.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Ombudsman shall maintain a publicly available website that includes--
``(1) hyperlinks to small entity compliance guides described under section 212(a)(1) of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996; and
``(2) with respect to each such small entity compliance guide, the contact information for an individual who can offer assistance to small entities with respect to the rules that are the subject of such guide.
``(f) Report on Agency Compliance.--The Ombudsman shall include in the annual report required under subsection (b)(2)(C) an assessment of agency compliance with the requirements of section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 for the year covered by such annual report.''.
I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 2142, which eases regulatory compliance for small businesses.
Agencies are required by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act to publish small entity compliance guides for each rule requiring a regulatory flexibility analysis. That guide is supposed to be posted and accessible to the public no later than the day a rulemaking becomes effective.
Yet, our committee continually hears from small business owners that they have great difficulty locating the guides. In our own investigation, we found that Federal agencies are inconsistent in their compliance with this rule.
Small businesses don't always have the resources to navigate multiple agency websites to understand their responsibilities under new laws. Instead, they are worried about meeting payroll, hiring talented workers, and running day-to-day operations of their small firms.
This bill provides a centralized location at the SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman to make it easier for business owners to find agency regulatory compliance guides and contact information. The SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman was created to help the small business community overcome regulatory barriers and ensure that agency actions are fair and reasonable. Centralizing various agency compliance guides in this office is a logical step to provide transparency and clarity for small businesses.
I want to thank Dr. Joyce for working with me to identify this issue and find a bipartisan solution to ensure America's small firms have a one-stop shop for regulatory assistance.
I ask my fellow Members to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Speaker, we know that small business owners don't necessarily have the resources and time to navigate multiple websites to fully understand their responsibilities with Federal laws. My bill is an important step toward reversing these problems. H.R. 2142 will make it easier, not harder, to comply with Federal regulations by providing them one location for compliance assistance.
The ombudsman already maintains a site for guidance, but this bill goes one step further by requiring that they not just provide agency contacts, but also keep a regular, updated page of compliance guides readily accessible to the public. My legislation renews our commitment towards small business growth and success by creating transparency and accountability of Federal agencies.
Again, I want to thank Dr. Joyce for cosponsoring this bill and putting our small businesses first.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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