Ranking Member Velazquez went on to say, “The SBA Office of Advocacy serves as the independent voice of small businesses within the government, promoting the concerns of entrepreneurs before all three branches of the federal system. I look forward to working with the Administration to fill the position of Chief Counsel, so the Office of Advocacy can represent small firms as effectively as possible.”
Since 2017—more than five years—the position of Chief Counsel has not been filled, instead relegating the duties of this position to an already resource-strapped staff at Advocacy. The Office of Advocacy’s efforts at monitoring federal agency compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) resulted in changes to 10 specific rules that led to $773 million in quantifiable small-business regulatory compliance cost savings in FY2019 alone.
“While not every small business may be aware of the Office of Advocacy, every small business across the country has benefited deeply from Advocacy’s efforts,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “The House Small Business Committee ought to serve as an example to all lawmakers of why bipartisanship is not only important, but doable.”
NSBA looks forward to working the both the House and Senate Small Business Committees on this critical issue and thanks Chair Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez for their bipartisan leadership.