Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today cosponsored legislation introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) called the Small Business Regulatory Relief Act, a bill that will help small businesses navigate obstacles and help them grow and create jobs.
“Small businesses are the drivers of Nevada’s economy, and the federal government should be working overtime to ensure they have the resources they need to grow and create jobs. By allowing the Small Business Administration to coordinate directly with other federal agencies, this legislation will make it easier for the SBA’s Ombudsman to provide meaningful compliance and advocacy assistance to Nevada’s entrepreneurs. Successful small businesses are a crucial part of thriving communities, and I’ll do all I can to support them.”
BACKGROUND:
The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of the National Ombudsman was created in 1996 to help small businesses overcome excessive or unfair regulatory enforcement actions by federal agencies. These actions include repetitive audits, investigations or excessive fines. In Fiscal Year 2018, the Office of the National Ombudsman advocated on behalf of 354 small businesses and conducted 118 outreach events across the country.
The Small Business Regulatory Relief Act would give the Office of the National Ombudsman the authority to work with federal agencies to provide meaningful compliance assistance and improve its outreach to help small businesses. The legislation also establishes a single point of contact at each federal agency to work with the Ombudsman, which will improve efforts to help small business owners navigate federal regulations.
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