The Office of Advocacy is the independent voice for small businesses and entities within the federal government, the watchdog of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and a resource for small business statistics and research. The office is led by a Chief Counsel for Advocacy, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Advocacy’s three main responsibilities are regulatory, research, and outreach. We support small businesses, non-profit organizations, and independent contractors under the work we do on behalf of small entities in our country.
Our regulatory team, the Office of Interagency Affairs, helps small businesses as regulations are developed. This team of attorneys serves as the watchdog for the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA), a law that requires federal agencies to consider alternative ways to reduce the economic impact of their regulations on small entities.
Our research team works to help policymakers understand what is needed for the start-up, development, and growth of American small businesses and organizations. Advocacy publishes reports and research that highlight the contributions and challenges American small businesses face for policymakers. Advocacy’s publications help Americans understand more about the small business economy.
Our outreach teams work to get our efforts in the regulatory and research space to the stakeholders that need them, and relay those stakeholders’ concerns back to Washington, D.C. The regional affairs team is spread across the country, serving as the eyes and ears for Advocacy all throughout the United States. In Washington, a team of communications staffers works to create and circulate products directly to stakeholders.
Advocacy is also an independent federal agency. While we are housed in the U.S. Small Business Administration, we do not take part in SBA’s work on loans, disaster relief, or procurement. Instead, we represent your interests in the federal regulatory process and produce data for policymakers to craft smarter laws.
For more about the office, please visit our What We Do page.