Washington D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, convened a joint hearing titled, “Reauthorization of the SBA Office of Advocacy.”
The hearing is currently being live-streamed on the committee’s website here.
Chairman Rubio’s opening remarks as prepared can be found below.
Chairman Rubio: “Thank you all for being here, and thank you to my good friend, Senator James Lankford, who chairs the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, for starting this joint hearing.
“The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship is looking at how the programs under the Small Business Administration affect small businesses across America, and what reforms are necessary for the SBA to have a more meaningful impact for our nation’s entrepreneurs and business owners in the future.
“I cannot think of an area of the SBA that has more of an impact on all small businesses, whether they are aware of it or not, than the independent regulatory watchdog, the Office of Advocacy.
“Advocacy’s work on behalf of small businesses is government-wide, which is why we are joined by members of HSGAC.
“Regardless of if a business has one employee or 500, the business is going to be subject to federal regulation and these regulations will too often make or break the business.
“Florida’s small business owners that I hear from want a clean environment and safe workplaces, and they know that smart, reasonable regulations are necessary to accomplish these goals.
“As an avid fisherman, I too know that we have to protect the water if we want to continue to enjoy our oceans, lakes and rivers.
“But federal agencies also have to think about protecting small businesses when they craft the regulations that are intended to protect our waters and air.
“The only way to ensure that small businesses have the certainty that they need is to enact meaningful regulatory reform that advocates for small businesses within federal agencies – regardless of who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“I believe that one of the best things we can do for small businesses, now and into the future, is to strengthen the Office of Advocacy, and I look forward to discussing ways we can do that here today.
“We know that if we do not give Advocacy the authority to enforce the Regulatory Flexibility Act, then agencies will continue to run over small businesses – this includes the SBA.”
