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For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act), which would have expanded Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities. It would have revised and enhanced requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanded the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowered the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorized the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferred size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe analysis suggests that Advocacy faces several challenges. \nAdvocacy, generally recognized as being an independent office, is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult for stakeholders to recognize Advocacy as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. 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For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act), which would have expanded Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities. It would have revised and enhanced requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanded the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowered the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorized the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferred size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. 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The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nAdvocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nAdvocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "28f34058c2968eb3640270cbc6823d8712ac4190", "filename": "files/20200109_R43625_28f34058c2968eb3640270cbc6823d8712ac4190.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43625_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200109_R43625_images_167074a3659efaf714866afaada80bd254eef2b7.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "4e724674c6faa2efcde98f2c7d925ced19ed3b8b", "filename": "files/20200109_R43625_4e724674c6faa2efcde98f2c7d925ced19ed3b8b.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 596292, "date": "2019-04-10", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T19:33:02.558541", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nAdvocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials, produce and promote small business economic research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses and the role of small businesses in the economy, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government.\nThis report examines Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act), which would have expanded Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities. It would have revised and enhanced requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanded the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowered the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorized the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferred size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. 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For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act). It would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe analysis suggests that the Office of Advocacy faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "f8ffd082ec096c20098caddc4eba1350a28130ce", "filename": "files/20180326_R43625_f8ffd082ec096c20098caddc4eba1350a28130ce.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43625_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180326_R43625_images_a25c137d044e198076460712870253ee0caa8baa.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "e9ca5bbd62384e25cbf0909c5b0dd4e753f934c7", "filename": "files/20180326_R43625_e9ca5bbd62384e25cbf0909c5b0dd4e753f934c7.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578693, "date": "2018-02-22", "retrieved": "2018-03-09T00:12:45.501740", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials, produce and promote small business economic research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses and the role of small businesses in the economy, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government.\nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act). It would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe analysis suggests that the Office of Advocacy faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "f24a877bed1957cceb2cd753867684a0f6c085c2", "filename": "files/20180222_R43625_f24a877bed1957cceb2cd753867684a0f6c085c2.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43625_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180222_R43625_images_a25c137d044e198076460712870253ee0caa8baa.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "8031aa0069991c929518d11f35ee3c37eabc855b", "filename": "files/20180222_R43625_8031aa0069991c929518d11f35ee3c37eabc855b.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 462313, "date": "2017-06-27", "retrieved": "2017-08-22T14:09:38.218828", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials, produce and promote small business economic research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses and the role of small businesses in the economy, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government.\nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act). It would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe analysis suggests that the Office of Advocacy faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "0277b3ee4a06fcec5a73da67f734db1c667539b9", "filename": "files/20170627_R43625_0277b3ee4a06fcec5a73da67f734db1c667539b9.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43625_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170627_R43625_images_a25c137d044e198076460712870253ee0caa8baa.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "20c876bb780cb600990a2ead2a59a831f72bdf3e", "filename": "files/20170627_R43625_20c876bb780cb600990a2ead2a59a831f72bdf3e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 458288, "date": "2017-01-13", "retrieved": "2017-01-24T17:00:24.439066", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy currently has 52 staff members and received appropriations of $9.12 million for FY2016 and $9.103 million for FY2017 under the continuing resolution (P.L. 114-254). It reports that its three primary functions are to (1) intervene early in federal agencies\u2019 regulatory development process on proposals that affect small businesses and provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials; (2) produce and promote research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses, document the role of small businesses in the economy, and explore and explain the variety of issues of concern to small businesses; and (3) enhance communication between federal agencies and small businesses. \nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act). It would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe SBA\u2019s Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, produce and promote small business economic research, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government. It faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "d0927428f18abd61e27ec19a774386fc9e974b02", "filename": "files/20170113_R43625_d0927428f18abd61e27ec19a774386fc9e974b02.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "85ae1a2254e354012d812fcfdff431c26ba56739", "filename": "files/20170113_R43625_85ae1a2254e354012d812fcfdff431c26ba56739.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 458100, "date": "2017-01-09", "retrieved": "2017-01-13T15:43:13.377841", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy currently has 52 staff members and received appropriations of $9.12 million for FY2016 and $9.103 million for FY2017 under the continuing resolution (P.L. 114-254). It reports that its three primary functions are to (1) intervene early in federal agencies\u2019 regulatory development process on proposals that affect small businesses and provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials; (2) produce and promote research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses, document the role of small businesses in the economy, and explore and explain the variety of issues of concern to small businesses; and (3) enhance communication between federal agencies and small businesses. \nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 115th Congress, H.R. 5, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (Title III, Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act) would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. The House passed similar legislation during the 114th Congress (H.R. 527).\nThe SBA\u2019s Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, produce and promote small business economic research, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government. It faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "d239074181eedd8eee8a0de901e263c82f1b59b9", "filename": "files/20170109_R43625_d239074181eedd8eee8a0de901e263c82f1b59b9.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "5423009d390a402b962f6b0584091e7c77f23297", "filename": "files/20170109_R43625_5423009d390a402b962f6b0584091e7c77f23297.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 452861, "date": "2016-05-26", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T22:10:31.447999", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy currently has 50 staff members and received an appropriation of $9.12 million for FY2016. It reports that its three primary functions are to (1) intervene early in federal agencies\u2019 regulatory development process on proposals that affect small businesses and provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials; (2) produce and promote research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses, document the role of small businesses in the economy, and explore and explain the variety of issues of concern to small businesses; and (3) enhance communication between federal agencies and small businesses. \nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 114th Congress, H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015, was passed by the House on February 5, 2015. The bill would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. \nThe SBA\u2019s Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, produce and promote small business economic research, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government. It faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "fbfedbc397085d5fda7808c4cdb8752810a171c7", "filename": "files/20160526_R43625_fbfedbc397085d5fda7808c4cdb8752810a171c7.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "6fd850605ee58165b2b073c2a6d91d8b494ed157", "filename": "files/20160526_R43625_6fd850605ee58165b2b073c2a6d91d8b494ed157.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4832, "name": "Small Business" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 449864, "date": "2016-02-18", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:08:21.917048", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": "The Office of Advocacy is an \u201cindependent\u201d office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advances \u201cthe views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, the federal courts, and state and local policymakers as appropriate.\u201d The Chief Counsel for Advocacy (hereinafter Chief Counsel) directs the office and is appointed by the President from civilian life with the advice and consent of the Senate. \nThe Office of Advocacy currently has 50 staff members and received an appropriation of $9.12 million for FY2016. It reports that its three primary functions are to (1) intervene early in federal agencies\u2019 regulatory development process on proposals that affect small businesses and provide Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) compliance training to federal regulatory officials; (2) produce and promote research to inform policymakers and other stakeholders concerning the impact of federal regulatory burdens on small businesses, document the role of small businesses in the economy, and explore and explain the variety of issues of concern to small businesses; and (3) enhance communication between federal agencies and small businesses. \nThis report examines the Office of Advocacy\u2019s origins and the expansion of its responsibilities over time; describes its organizational structure, funding, functions, and current activities; and discusses recent legislative efforts to further enhance its authority. For example, during the 114th Congress, H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015, was passed by the House on February 5, 2015. The bill would expand the Office of Advocacy\u2019s responsibilities by revising and enhancing requirements for federal agency notification of the Chief Counsel prior to the publication of any proposed rule; expanding the required use of small business advocacy review panels from three federal agencies to all federal agencies, including independent regulatory agencies; empowering the Chief Counsel to issue rules governing federal agency compliance with the RFA; specifically authorizing the Chief Counsel to file comments on any notice of proposed rulemaking, not just when the RFA is concerned; and transferring size standard determinations for purposes other than the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 from the SBA\u2019s Administrator to the Chief Counsel. \nThe SBA\u2019s Office of Advocacy is a relatively small office with a relatively large mandate\u2014to represent the interests of small business in the regulatory process, produce and promote small business economic research, and facilitate small business outreach across the federal government. It faces several challenges. \nThe Office of Advocacy is generally recognized as being an independent office, but it is housed within the much larger SBA which, given their statutorily overlapping missions as advocates for small businesses, makes it more difficult than would otherwise be the case for the Office of Advocacy to be recognized by stakeholders as the definitive voice for small businesses.\nChief Counsels tend to have relatively short tenures, creating continuity problems for the Office of Advocacy. \nThe RFA does not define significant economic impact or substantial number of small entities, two key terms for triggering the Office of Advocacy\u2019s role under the RFA. The lack of clarity concerning these key terms makes it difficult for the Office of Advocacy to objectively determine agency compliance with the RFA and to train federal regulatory officials in how to come into compliance with the act.\nThe Office of Advocacy often finds itself involved in ideological and partisan disputes concerning the outcome of federal regulatory policies for which it does not have the final say.\nThe Office of Advocacy\u2019s ability to produce and promote economic research on small businesses and to engage in outreach activities, particularly outreach activities not directly related to its RFA role, is constrained by its relatively limited budgetary resources.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43625", "sha1": "7a31d64e83b01089e76a0819cffe64335a9b9463", "filename": "files/20160218_R43625_7a31d64e83b01089e76a0819cffe64335a9b9463.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43625", "sha1": "85d50368a817ed28536d3fc4770919dbfe04e8af", "filename": "files/20160218_R43625_85d50368a817ed28536d3fc4770919dbfe04e8af.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2636, "name": "Small Business Policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807300/", "id": "R43625_2015Feb09", "date": "2015-02-09", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "SBA Office of Advocacy: Overview, History, and Current Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150209_R43625_4af805359d6b19714328499ac2ca4cacddbbff22.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150209_R43625_4af805359d6b19714328499ac2ca4cacddbbff22.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "American Law" ] }