Small Business

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently published a State Guide to Regulatory Flexibility for Small Businesses to help states implement regulatory flexibility programs for small businesses. SBA studies have shown that small businesses account for 93% of businesses in every state; yet businesses with fewer than 20 employees spend approximately 45% more per employee than businesses with 500 or more employees to comply with federal regulations and mandates (see “Taking Care of Small Business,” JofA , March 06, page 39).

The Office of Advocacy proposed model legislation in 2002 to help provide alternative solutions to this burden. Thirty-seven state legislatures have since considered and 19 implemented such legislation.

The full report is available at www.sba.gov/advo/laws/rfa_stateguide07.pdf .