Every year, the Office of Advocacy reports on efforts to relieve the burden of new regulations on small businesses. These efforts are the result of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), a tool that requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of new rules on small businesses and to consider flexible approaches to complying with them.
In fiscal year 2017, efforts to reduce the regulatory impact of federal rules produced several success stories, including cost savings to small business. The Office of Advocacy’s latest publication, “Report on the Regulatory Flexibility Act, FY 2017,” explains these efforts in detail, along with related regulatory reform efforts. A summary of the research is also available.
“The RFA is the legal foundation of small business consideration in federal rulemaking,” said Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy Major Clark, III. “It is a guidebook for today’s efforts to reduce federal regulation and maximize the small business benefit of cost-cutting measures.”
One of this year’s regulatory cost savings concerned the application of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act to movie theaters. After receiving input from theater operators and the Office of Advocacy, the Justice Department’s final rule cost small businesses $66 million less than the original proposal.
President Trump has launched an era of deregulation, and federal agencies have been directed not to issue any new rules unless two are eliminated. To help identify the rules that pose big burdens on small businesses, Advocacy is hosting Regional Regulatory Reform Roundtables around the nation. These events gather firsthand input and educate rule-writing officials on small businesses’ regulatory headaches.
“Advocacy looks forward to building on these efforts in the coming year and making continued significant progress in relieving small businesses’ regulatory burden,” said Acting Chief Counsel Clark.
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