February 29, 2008

WASHINGTON D.C. -

Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Ranking Member Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today praised the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy for announcing the 2008 Top 10 Rules for Review and Reform as part of its “r3” initiative.  The Top 10 are drawn from more than 80 rules nominated by small business owners and their representatives from across the country as part of the Regulatory Review and Reform initiative. 

“I commend the Office of Advocacy for proposing rules and regulations for review,” said Senator Snowe.  “Given that Federal regulations impose nearly 45 percent greater regulatory burden on smaller businesses than on their larger counterparts, I have long championed bipartisan measures to reduce the burden faced by small businesses.  I commend the Office of Advocacy for its vigorous and continuing efforts as the ‘regulatory watchdog’ for our nation’s small businesses.  The r3 initiative will help to ensure that Federal agencies review existing regulations to determine if they are outdated, duplicative, or overly complex – as these agencies are currently required to do by the Regulatory Flexibility Act” 

Significantly, in the coming weeks, Senator Snowe plans to introduce a measure that would ensure both the future independence of the SBA Office of Advocacy and that Federal agencies fully consider small business impacts during their rulemaking processes.

###