STATEMENT
of the
Honorable Nydia M. Velázquez, Ranking Democratic
Member
Floor Debate in the U.S. House of Representatives
on the Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act
October 2, 2001
In today's business environment, one of the greatest obstacles
blocking the path to prosperity for this nation's small
businesses is regulatory compliance. Small businesses regularly
find themselves lost in the maze of federal regulations
that are designed to create safer and healthier workplaces.
In fact, a recent poll
ranked regulatory burdens as the seventh biggest concern
for small businesses, and the Small Business Administration
estimates those burdens cost up to $5,100 per employee.
Small firms are less equipped to deal with regulations than
large corporations. Business owners want to comply with
regulations, because they know that a safe and healthy workplace
and environment makes them more productive. But often they
don't know how to comply or where they should start.
Today we take a big step
in supporting our nation's small businesses navigate the
regulatory process with the passage of the National Small
Business Regulatory Assistance Act. This legislation establishes
a three-year pilot program to provide confidential and non-punitive
advice to small businesses that are trying to weather a
blizzard of complex federal regulations.
Business owners sometimes
fear approaching agencies for compliance assistance because
these are the very agencies charged with enforcement. They
worry, Can I talk about OSHA requirements with the Labor
Department? Can I discuss environmental regulations with
the EPA?
By creating a compliance
program through the SBDC national network, we will provide
a neutral, non-threatening environment small business owners
use to get important information and advice without fear
of retaliation.
The SBDCs, which have a
good reputation for aiding local enterprise, already provide
counseling, training, and education. This legislation creates
a "one-stop shop" for regulatory compliance that
will help small business owners who WANT to do the right
thing, to DO the right thing.
In addition, this legislation
would establish a database clearinghouse for information
gathered by the SBDCs based on their interaction with local
businesses. This data will be useful in further identifying
the compliance needs of small business and tailoring assistance
to them.
But while SBDCs provide
more compliance assistance and gather more information,
we must ensure that the sensitive information brought forward
by small business is kept absolutely confidential. This
legislation guarantees privacy for those who receive compliance
assistance and extends these protections to ALL small businesses
that seek ANY assistance from their local SBDC.
This legislation bars the
sharing of information that any SBDC collects on a business
with any third party or agency. This will guarantee that
small businesses receive the assistance they need in complete
confidence and privacy.
Mr. Speaker, we want all our businesses to comply with the
regulations that preserve the health, environment and well-being
of our workers and our communities. But oftentimes small
businesses do not have access to the resources they need
if they want to comply with regulations in good faith. With
the adoption of this legislation we are giving small businesses
the support they need to navigate the often complex realm
of federal regulations.
In closing, let me thank
my colleague Mr. Sweeney for this bill. I strongly urge
the adoption of this legislation.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest challenges facing small
business is the burden of conforming to federal regulations.
Most firms understand the necessity of regulations that
protect the health and well-being of their employees and
their communities. But many are daunted by the confusing
and often contradictory nature of the regime we have in
place to enforce them.
This bill is part of the
solution. We want to provide a safe and private place where
small business owners can go to get information and advice
on how to navigate and comply with federal regulations.
The Small Business Administration in turn can learn how
better to meet the needs of the country's entrepreneurs
and small firms.
Small businesses want to
meet our expectations of them. But they'd also like some
help on just how to do that, and this bill is the first
step in providing that help.
