Joint Hearing Will Assist Small Businesses

The Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board will hold a public hearing from 9:30 a.m. to noon on May 6, at the Center for Emerging Technologies, 4041 Forest Park Ave., St. Louis. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.

The event is part of the 2008 Small Business Week of Eastern Missouri, Inc.

The hearing will be a joint hearing of the SBRFB and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Region VII Regulatory Fairness Board. The region encompasses the states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

SBA National Ombudsman Nicholas Owens (pictured right), members of the SBA’s Region VII RegFair Board, members of the state SBRFB and representatives of federal and state regulatory agencies will hear comments and complaints about regulatory enforcement and compliance, and will discuss the impact of federal regulations on small business.

“One of the leading concerns small business owners face is unfair enforcement of federal regulations,” Owens said. “They are also concerned about telling their stories because they fear retaliation by federal agencies. Small business owners want to play by the rules and comply with federal regulations. We want to encourage Federal regulators to provide effective compliance assistance, rather than go straight to the penalty stage. Regulatory enforcement should be effective, not excessive.”

This forum offers small business owners a chance to express their concerns about federal and state compliance practices and to learn how to more effectively deal with federal and state regulatory requirements.

Comments and complaints presented during this forum will be directed to the appropriate federal and state regulatory agency. Federal agency’s responsiveness will be shared with federal officials in the National Ombudsman’s Annual Report to Congress. Information collected at this hearing will also be shared with state officials in the SBRFB’s Annual Report to the Missouri Governor, and with leadership of federal and state regulatory agencies to assist them with their enforcement actions.

Comments and concerns about federal enforcement actions can be addressed by contacting Christina Marinos of the SBA National Ombudsman’s Office at 888-734-3247 (REGFAIR) or by email at Christina.marinos@sba.gov before the forum. Should small business owners or representatives be unable to attend, written testimony may be sent in advance of the forum to be included in the public record. For more information about the National Ombudsman and the Missouri forum, please visit the web site www.sba.gov/ombudsman.

Comments and concerns about state regulations can be addressed by contacting Krista Zurkamer, coordinator for the SBRFB.