SBA: Advocacy - Rendell Urged To Sign Bill Protecting Small Business, HB 2442 Gives Small Business A Voice In The Regulatory Process

U.S. Small Business Administration

NEWSRELEASE

For Release: November 24, 2004
Contact: John McDowell, (202) 205-6941
john.mcdowell@sba.gov
SBA Number: 04-40 ADVO
Press Kit

Rendell Urged To Sign Bill Protecting Small Business

HB 2442 Gives Small Business A Voice In The Regulatory Process

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter sent Wednesday, Chief Counsel for Advocacy Thomas M. Sullivan has urged Governor Rendell to sign the recently passed bill, HB 2442.

“Our research shows that small businesses are an important source of new jobs for Pennsylvania,” said Sullivan. “By signing this legislation, Governor Rendell can help ensure that Pennsylvania’s state agencies are sensitive to how proposed regulations affect small business growth and job creation.”

HB 2442 unanimously passed both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, which sent it to Governor Rendell for his signature on November 22. He has until December 2 to sign the bill. The bill will strengthen Pennsylvania’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) in its role of the reviewing regulations. If signed, the legislation will require state regulators to consider the financial, economic, and social impact of new regulations on small businesses.

The bill implements some elements of small business friendly regulatory legislation put forward as a model by the Office of Advocacy of the SBA. Similar to the federal Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), the model encourages entrepreneurial success by requiring state agencies to consider their impact on small business before they issue final regulations.

The model legislation, endorsed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), has been considered in 17 states. In the past year, small business regulatory flexibility has been signed into law by governors in Connecticut, Kentucky, Missouri, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The Office of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the federal government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues.

For more information, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.

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Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help identify issues of concern. Regional Advocates and an office in Washington, DC, support the Chief Counsel’s efforts. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit www.sba.gov/advo, or call (202) 205-6533.