One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4877) 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. 4877

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021''. SEC. 2. 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.''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4877, the One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act of 2021, which will require SBA's Office of the National Ombudsman to maintain a centralized website for regulatory compliance guides.

Federal 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.

These compliance guides are meant to explain Federal rules in easy- to-understand terms for small businesses and help them comply with Federal regulations that protect our environment, health, and consumer safety. However, small businesses do not always have the resources to navigate multiple agencies' websites to find these guides.

H.R. 4877 will ensure the Office of the National Ombudsman maintains an updated centralized website containing links to each agency's small business compliance guides and their relevant points of contact.

This simple step will significantly reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs, make compliance easier, and allow them to spend more time doing what they do best--running their businesses and creating jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Delgado and Van Duyne for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this bill to assist small businesses across the country.
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, in closing, small employers have experienced great hardships throughout the pandemic, but today we have the opportunity to make it easier, not harder, to comply with Federal regulations.

The ombudsman's centralized website will streamline the compliance process for small businesses and ensure they have the most accurate and updated information.

I thank the committee members for their diligence in advancing this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'', and I yield back the balance of my time.

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