Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, is one of the lawmakers who sponsored the bill. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A New Law Will Make It Easier for Small Businesses to ‘Navigate the Seemingly Never-Ending Web of Bureaucratic Red Tape’
Within six months SBA must create a central website with relevant regulations and contact information for employees who can provide assistance.
Soon it will be easier for small businesses to find and navigate the federal regulations that apply to their operations.
On Monday, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan One Stop Shop for Small Business Compliance Act. The bill cleared both the House and Senate by voice vote.
“Current law requires federal agencies to publish small business compliance guides for certain regulations,” stated a press release from Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, one of the lawmakers to sponsor the bill, when the bill passed the House in April. “However, these guides are housed on different agency websites, making it nearly impossible for small businesses to find and utilize them.” This bill “creates a centralized, online ‘one-stop shop’ for small business owners.” The online portal will also have a list of contact information for the relevant agency personnel to give regulatory assistance if needed.
Specifically, the bill directs the Small Business Administration's Office of the National Ombudsman to establish the centralized website in no more than six months.
There are about 33.2 million small businesses in the United States, which together represent 99.9% of U.S. businesses, according to SBA. “Oftentimes, small businesses are unaware of their new responsibilities as federal laws are updated,” so this legislation “will consolidate the resources necessary to navigate the seemingly never-ending web of bureaucratic red tape,” Van Duyne said in a statement in April.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, said in May when his committee reported the bill out favorably, “Owning and operating a small business is an around-the-clock job, so this bill makes it easier for small businesses to comply with federal regulations.
After signing the bill, Biden thanked Van Duyne; former Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y. (who is now New York lieutenant governor); Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; and many others for their leadership.