SAN DIEGO–(Businesswire)–Small business owners, community leaders and representatives of trade associations in San Diego and Imperial Counties concerned about excessive enforcement of federal rules can voice their complaints at a U.S. Small Business Administration Regulatory Fairness Board Forum in San Diego on April 26, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. The forum will be held in the Health Services Complex-Rosecrans, Harbor Conference Room, 3851 Rosecrans Street, San Diego. Free parking is available on site.
SBA National Ombudsman Esther Vassar, members of SBA’s Region IX Regulatory Fairness Board, and representatives of federal regulatory agencies will hear comments and complaints about regulatory enforcement and compliance and will discuss the impact of federal regulations on small business.
“Recognizing that small business owners want to play by the rules and comply with federal regulations but are often challenged because of lack of resources and fear of challenging regulatory decisions, the Office of the National Ombudsman works to improve existing programs, expand and strengthen relationships with federal agencies, and develop new programs and partnerships that help small businesses maneuver through the federal regulatory enforcement environment without fear of retaliation,” Vassar said. “We encourage federal regulators to focus more on effective compliance assistance rather than excessive regulatory enforcement.”
This forum offers small business owners a chance to express their concerns about federal compliance practices and to learn how to more effectively deal with federal regulatory requirements. Comments and complaints presented during this forum will be directed to the appropriate federal regulatory agency. Information gathered will also be shared with federal officials in the National Ombudsman’s annual report to Congress and with the leadership of federal regulatory agencies in order to assist them with enforcement actions.
The forum is open to the public. Those wishing to testify should contact Cynthia Harris, public information officer with SBA’s San Diego district office, at (619) 727-4884, or by email at cynthia.harris@sba.gov, prior to the forum. Small business owners or representatives unable to attend may submit written testimony before April 26 in order for the information to be included in the public record.
Comments and concerns about federal enforcement actions can be addressed directly to SBA’s Office of the National Ombudsman at 1(888) 734-3247 (REGFAIR).
For more information about the National Ombudsman and the San Diego forum, please visit the web site www.sba.gov/ombudsman.
To learn more about the SBA, call (619) 727-4883 or visit www.sba.gov/ca/sandiego.
