Site Visit: Growing Businesses Adapt
By Apollo Fuhriman,
Region 10 Advocate
Recently, staff from the Office of Advocacy along with local
SBDC representatives and an official from the governor’s office visited a local
business in Anchorage that is representative of one of…
Letter to EPA: Advocacy Comments on National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants:…
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) submits the following comments in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule, “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Municipal…
Announcing the Small Business Profiles for Congressional Districts
The Office of Advocacy has launched a new series, the Small Business Profiles for the Congressional Districts. The congressional district profiles are part of Advocacy’s state profile series, which provides user-friendly snapshots of…
Advocacy Meets with Burlington Smalls – A Call for OSHA Regulations
By Joe Knilans, National Rural Affairs Advocate
Advocacy held a regulatory reform
roundtable in Vermont in July. One issue that came up at the roundtable in
Burlington, was the lack of OSHA regulations.
Before you fall off your…
Site Visit: Maple Syrup Farm Owner Encounters Sticky Situation with Friends Across Border
By Prianka Sharma, Assistant Chief Counsel
While driving through Vermont,
visitors may notice hundreds of maple syrup farms lining the rural highways. Maple
syrup is a large industry in the Northeast and Canada. While hosting a…
North Conway Regulatory Roundtable – Federal Regulatory Issues and Trees: Both Plentiful
By Tom Rossomando, National Manufacturing and Technology Advocate
Advocacy
recently visited New Hampshire to hold a regional regulatory roundtable. The
hospitality industry was well represented. One resort owner had concerns
regarding…
USPTO Requesting Comments on Patent Issues Related to Artificial Intelligence Inventions
On August 27, 2019, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a notice requesting comments on patent issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) inventions. In its notice, USPTO asks several questions covering patent…
FMCSA Proposes Changes to Hours of Service of Drivers Rules
On August 22, 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comment on possible revisions to its Hours of Service of Drivers (HOS) rules for commercial truck drivers. The…
USDA Solicits Applications for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for FY 2020
On August 30, 2019, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) announced a notice of solicitation of applications for financial assistance under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for…
Small Business Roundtable in Bangor, Maine, Focuses on Labor Force and Regulatory Issues
By Bruce Lundegren, Assistant Chief Counsel
A common topic at many of the SBA Office of Advocacy’s
Regional Regulatory Reform Roundtables has been labor force concerns and the
current difficulty of small businesses to attract and retain…