http://www.sba.gov/advo/ http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/comments/noaa09_1110.html On November 10, 2009, the Office of Advocacy submitted a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regarding the specifications for the Atlantic herring fishery. http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/law_regalerts.html#pro On October 28, 2009, the United States Small Business Administration published a proposal to make changes to the regulations governing the 8(a) Business Development (8(a) BD) and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) programs, and to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA or Agency) size regulations. There are six proposed changes to SBA’s size regulations, two dealing with mentor/protege´ situations, one amending requirements for joint ventures, one clarifying how a procurement should be classified, one further explaining the nonmanufacturer rule, and one relating to who may request a formal size determination. The remaining proposed changes are to the regulations governing SBA’s 8(a) BD and SDB programs. Comments are due no later than December 28, 2009. http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/sbqei0903.pdf The U.S. economic recovery began in the third quarter of 2009 as real GDP grew an annualized 3.5 percent; however, the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent in September. These and other trends can be found in the latest update to the Quarterly Indicators: The Economy and Small Business. http://www.sba.gov/advo/nov09.pdf The November 2009 issue of The Small Business Advocate announces the appointment of Susan Walthall as acting chief counsel for advocacy and features the 2009 edition of the Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories. http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/ Small businesses will play an important role in the nation’s economic future. The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile for the United States, released today, provides details about small business employment, business starts and closings, bank lending in 2008, the demographics of business ownership, and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size. http://www.sba.gov/advo/press/09-15.html Small businesses will play an important role in the nation’s economic future. The Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile for the United States, released today, provides details about small business employment, business starts and closings, bank lending in 2008, the demographics of business ownership, and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size. http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/comments/faa09_1021.html On October 21, 2009, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) submitted comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the FAA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Safety Management System (SMS). http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs352tot.pdf Military reserve activations have risen in recent years. An Analysis of the Effect of Reserve Activation on Small Business seeks to assess the effects of these activations on employers and finds that small firms with fewer than 100 employee were more affected than larger firms. http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf The updated Frequently Asked Questions estimates that there were 29.6 million small businesses in the United States in 2008, and small firms accounted for 64 percent of the net new jobs generated between 1993 and the third quarter of 2008. http://www.sba.gov/advo/laws/law_regalerts.html#fin On August 26, 2009 the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System issued a proposed rule to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and staff commentary as part of a comprehensive review of TILA’s closed-end credit. This proposal would revise the rules for disclosure of closed-end credit secured by real property or a consumer’s dwelling, except for rules regarding rescission and reverse mortgages. The proposal would require transaction specific disclosures at least three business days before consummation. Comments are due December 24, 2009. http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs349tot.pdf Sixteen percent of high-impact, high-tech firms have at least one immigrant founder, according to a study released today by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Although these firms are concentrated in states with large immigrant populations, in most other respects they resemble high-impact, high-tech firms founded by native-born entrepreneurs. http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/sb_econ2009.pdf Despite more recent numbers showing improvement in the U.S. economy, the economic picture for small firms at the end of 2008 offered few bright spots, according to the 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy released by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Small businesses in most industries, especially in the construction industry hard hit by the housing market downturn, saw declines in employment. Along with declining sales, most small businesses faced a less accommodating credit market, especially in the second half of 2008.