Small Business
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ADVOCACY AND OMBUDSMAN<br />
Watching Out for the Interests of <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Business</strong>es<br />
ADVOCACY AND OMBUDSMAN<br />
OFFICE OF ADVOCACY<br />
The Office of Advocacy is an<br />
independent office within the U.S. <strong>Small</strong><br />
<strong>Business</strong> Administration. Advocacy’s<br />
mission is to be the “small business<br />
watchdog” in the federal government.<br />
The office is headed by the chief counsel<br />
for advocacy, who is appointed by the<br />
President and confirmed by the Senate.<br />
The office examines the role and<br />
status of small business in the economy<br />
and independently represents the<br />
views of small business to federal<br />
agencies, Congress, the president and<br />
federal courts. The Office of Advocacy<br />
compiles and interprets statistics on<br />
small business and is the primary<br />
entity within the federal government<br />
to disseminate small business data.<br />
The office also funds outside research<br />
on small business issues and produces<br />
numerous publications to inform policy<br />
makers about the important role of<br />
small businesses in the economy and<br />
the impact of government policies on<br />
small businesses. In addition, the office<br />
monitors federal agency compliance<br />
with the Regulatory Flexibility Act<br />
– the law that requires agencies to<br />
analyze the impact of their proposed<br />
regulations on small entities (including<br />
small businesses, small governmental<br />
jurisdictions and small nonprofit<br />
organizations), and consider regulatory<br />
alternatives that minimize the economic<br />
burden on small entities.<br />
Advocacy’s mission is enhanced by<br />
a team of regional advocates, located<br />
in the SBA’s 10 regions. They are<br />
Advocacy’s direct link to small business<br />
owners, state and local government<br />
entities, and organizations that<br />
support the interests of small entities.<br />
The regional advocates help identify<br />
regulatory concerns of small business<br />
by monitoring the impact of federal and<br />
state policies at the grassroots level.<br />
Learn more about the Office of<br />
Advocacy at www.sba.gov/advocacy.<br />
Becky Greenwald, Regional Advocate<br />
210 Walnut St., Rm. 749<br />
Des Moines, IA 50309<br />
515-284-4554<br />
rebecca.greenwald@sba.gov<br />
OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL<br />
OMBUDSMAN:<br />
Bringing Fair Regulatory Enforcement<br />
to America’s <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Business</strong>es<br />
The National Ombudsman has helped<br />
thousands of small businesses save<br />
time and money by resolving difficult<br />
regulatory compliance and enforcement<br />
issues. As part of President Obama’s<br />
mandate to promote a level playing field<br />
for small business, we work directly<br />
with federal regulators to facilitate<br />
practical and timely resolutions of<br />
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness (REF)<br />
matters impacting small businesses.<br />
The National Ombudsman oversees<br />
fair enforcement of small business<br />
regulation by:<br />
• Providing small business owners<br />
a confidential way to report and<br />
resolve federal REF problems, like<br />
excessive enforcement action or<br />
disproportionate fines<br />
• Escalating small business concerns<br />
to federal agencies for fairness<br />
review & resolution<br />
• Grading federal agencies on their<br />
small business policies and practices<br />
<strong>Small</strong> businesses can connect with the<br />
National Ombudsman online at<br />
sba.gov/ombudsman, in-person,<br />
or through a national network of<br />
Regulatory Fairness Board Members.<br />
The National Ombudsman meets<br />
with small business owners around<br />
the country at listening sessions and<br />
regulatory fairness dialogues in all ten<br />
SBA Regions. These outreach events<br />
provide critical, real-time input from<br />
the small business community on REF<br />
issues impacting small business growth<br />
and help federal regulators better<br />
understand how government can best<br />
support small business success.<br />
Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards<br />
in each of SBA’s 10 regions promote<br />
regulatory fairness by alerting federal<br />
regulators to important REF issues such<br />
as unintended consequences of a new<br />
rule or regulation. These Boards, each<br />
made up of five small business owners,<br />
also help raise awareness in their<br />
communities about resources available<br />
to small businesses through the SBA<br />
and the National Ombudsman.<br />
Every year, the National Ombudsman<br />
reports to Congress its findings on the<br />
impact of the policies and practices of<br />
every federal agency that touches small<br />
business.<br />
To learn more about how the National<br />
Ombudsman can help your small<br />
business, or to confidentially report<br />
a REF issue, call 888-REG-FAIR<br />
(888-734-3247) or complete the simple<br />
one-page form at sba.gov/ombudsman/<br />
comment.<br />
52 — Iowa <strong>Small</strong> <strong>Business</strong> Resource<br />
Visit us online: www.sba.gov/ia
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